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mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmtmmmmmtmmm»mmmmmmmmumiiimmmM»mmmmBimmmmmm^ 

Charles Bradford 





Class ''' 

Book.___^_i:i. 



Copyright N"_ 



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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 







By Charles Bradford 








The Determined Angler 

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It 



The Determined Angler 

and the 

Brook Trout 

An Anthological Volttme of Ttout Fishing, 

TfOttt Histories, Trout Lore, Trout 

Resorts, and Trotit Tackle 



By 

Charles Bradford 

Author of "The Wildfowlers," "The Angler's Secret/' 
".The Angler's Guide," « Frank Forester/' etc. 




Second Edition, Greatly Enlarged 
Illustrated 



G. ?♦ Putnam's Sons 
New Yoffc London 

^be f^nic^erbocker pres^ 
J9J6 






Copyright, 19 i6 

BY 

CHARLES BRADFORD 



y-^h 






MAY 31 1916 

Ube ftnfcberbocfier iprees* l^ew l^orli 

©ei,,A431271 



< 



^0 
J. CHARLES DAVIS 



THESE LITTLE YARNS ARE DEDICATED IN REMEMBRANCE 

OF SOME DELIGHTFUL OUTINGS PASSED 

IN HIS SOCIETY. 



THE BROOK TROUT'S HOME 

* I am Salmo fontinalis, 

To the sparkling fountain born; 
And my home is where oxalis, 
Heather bell and rose adorn 
The crystal basin in the dell 
(Undine the wood-nymph knows it well) : 
That is where I love to dwell. 

There was I baptized and christened, 

'Neath the somber aisles of oak ; 
Mute the cascade paused and listened, 
Never a word the brooklet spoke ; 
Bobolink was witness then, 
Likewise grosbeak, linnet, wren — 
And all the fairies joined "amen!" 

Thus as Salmo fontinalis 

Recognized the wide world o'er, 
In my limpid crystal palace, 
Content withal, I ask no more. 

Leaping through the rainbow spray, 
Snatching flies the livelong day, 
Naught to do but eat and play." 

Charles Hallock. 



BROOK TROUT ANGLING 

**. . . it carries us into the most wild and beautiful scenery of 
nature; amongst the mountain lakes, and the clear and lovely 
streams that gush from the higher ranges of elevated hills, or that 
make their way through the cavities of calcareous strata. How 
delightful in the early spring, after the dull and tedious time of 
winter, when the frosts disappear and the sunshine warms the 
earth and waters, to wander forth by some clear stream, to see 
the leaf bursting from the purple bud, to scent the odors of the 
bank perfumed by the violet, and enameled, as it were, with the 
primrose and the daisy; to wander upon the fresh turf below 
the shade of trees, whose bright blossoms are filled with the music 
of the bee; and on the surface of the waters to view the gaudy 
flies sparkHng like animated gems in the sunbeams, whilst the 
bright and beautiful trout is watching them from below ; to hear 
the twittering of the water-birds, who, alarmed at your approach, 
rapidly hide themselves beneath the flowers and leaves of the 
water-lily; and as the season advances, to find all these objects 
changed for others of the same kind, but better and brighter, till 
the swallow and the trout contend as it were for the gaudy May 
fly, and till in pursuing your amusement in the calm and balmy 
evening, you are serenaded by the songs of the cheerful thrush 
. . . performing the offices of paternal love, in thickets orna- 
mented with the rose and woodbine." — Days of Fly Fishing^ 
1828. 



vu 



"Gentlemen, let not prejudice prepossess you. I confess my 
discourse is like to prove suitable to my recreation, calm and 
quiet. . . . And so much for the prologue of what I mean to 



say. 



fiouuLk/i^tLMx>r\' 




vm 



I 



PREFACE 

^" Don't give up if you don't catch fish; the unsuccessful trip 
should whet your appetite to try again." — Grover Cleveland. 

A PREFACE is either an excuse or an explanation, or 
both. The Brook Trout needs no excuse, and it is 
fully explained in the general text of this volume. Nor 
does the Angler, be he Determined or otherwise, need 
any excuse, because "our Saviour chose simple fisher- 
men ... St. Peter, St. John, St. Andrew, and St. 
James, whom he inspired, and He never reproved 
these for their employment or calling" (Izaak Walton, 
The Compleat Angler, 1653). And the Angler — the 
man — needs no explanation, though it seems ever 
necessary to define the word. 

Webster, himself a profound Angler, must have been 
unconscious of his gentle bearing, for his definition 
of "angle" is simply: "to fish," and every Angler 
knows that merely to fish — to go forth indifferent of 
correct (humane) tackle, the legal season, and ethical 
methods in the pursuit — is not the way of the Angler. 

I like the explanation of the word by Genio C. Scott : 
"Angling, a special kind of fishing." 

The inspired landscape genius and the kalsominer 
who shellacs the artist's studio are both painters; so, 
the gentle Angler with perfect tackle and the mere 
hand-line fish taker are both fishermen. 

The Angler is the highest order of fisherman, 



X Preface 

and while all Anglers are fishermen there are many 
fishermen who are not Anglers. 

"Anglo-Saxon," writing in the New York Press y 
October 14, 191 5, uses the term "gentleman Anglers.'* 
He should have said * ' gentleman fishermen ' ' (Anglers) , 
because all Anglers are gentlemen, regardless of their 
business calling, appearance, personality, compan- 
ionship, etc. When a man, fisherman or no fisher- 
man, develops into an Angler he must first become 
gentle in order to be of the gentle art. "Angling is 
the gentle art ' ' (Walton) . ' ' The gentle art of angling * ' 
(Cotton). 

"If true Anglers," says Genio C. Scott, "you are 
sure to be gentle." 

Peter Flint (New York Press, Oct. 15,1915): "Our 
most successful Anglers, amateurs as well as pro- 
fessionals." 

All Anglers are amateurs, brother Peter. There 
are no professional Anglers, though there are both 
amateur and professional fishermen, and those fisher- 
men who are amateurs are Anglers. The word 
"amateur " seems to be adrift upon the same bewilder- 
ing tideway as the words "angler" and "angling." 
"Amateur" hasn't the definition commonly attributed 
to it — it doesn't signify inefficiency, inexperience, 
unpracticality, etc., as do the words "beginner," 
"neophyte," "tyro," etc. An amateur in fishing, or 
farming, or any other pastime or pursuit, may be far 
more practical, more experienced, more proficient, and 
better equipped in tools and paraphernalia than a 
professional, and he usually is so; he is certainly 
always so in angling. 

Watch your word. 

"It is the belief of Acker that hand-line fishing is as 



Preface 



XI 



good [as], if not better than, the rod and reel kind. " 
(Wandering Angler, New York Press, Aug. 17, 191 5.) 

Hand-line fishing, as fishing, — though the Tuna 
Angling Club, of Santa Catalina Island, California, is 
bound to the use of light rods and fine reels and tells 
us hand-lines are unsportsmanlike and detrimental 
to the public interest, — is good (Christ and His dis- 
ciples sanctioned it), but to say it is as good as or 
better than rod and reel angling is not convincing. 
The indifferent fisher can't condemn angling in 
praising common fishing with any more reason than 
he might proclaim against cricket playing in favoring 
carpentry, or vice versa. One might as correctly say 
hand-line fishing is as good as riding, or driving, or 
golf, or baseball, or canoeing (of course it is), for 
fishing without rod and reel and fishing with proper 
tackle are pursuits as distinct in character as riding a 
plain horse bareback with a rough halter, and strad- 
dling a gallant charger with neat bridle and saddle ; or 
as mere boating upon a refuse creek, and skimming 
the green billows in a trim yacht. 

That the fisher's hand-line and the fisherman's 
net will take more fish than the Angler's tackle is 
not of moment, because a stick of dynamite or a 
cannon filled with leaden pellets or a boy with a 
market basket will take still more fish than the net and 
hand-line. Quantity makes fishing "good" with the 
fisherman; quality delights the Angler. There is no 
objection to the mere fish-getter filling his boat with 
fishes with or without tackle, but as the jockey is sepa- 
rated from the sportsman rider and the sailor from 
the yachtsman so should the quantity fisher and the 
quality Angler be considered in contrasting spheres. 
*'What a man brings home in his heart after fishing 



xii Preface 

is of more account than what he brings in his basket, '* 
says W. J. Long. "Anglers encourage the adoption of 
angling methods," says Dr. Van Dyke, "which make 
the wholesale slaughter of fishes impossible and in- 
crease the sport of taking a fair number in a fair way." 
As chivalric single-missile bow-and-arrow exercise 
dignifies archery above bunch-arrow work in war, so 
the gentle use of refined tackle dignifies angling above 
mere fish getting. Trap shooting is deHghtful, and 
more birds are killed than the gunner would bag in 
marsh and meadow, but is trap shooting therefore 
more "good" than game-shooting in the glorious 
fields and forests? No, sir; and though the hand-Hne 
fisherman may honestly take half the ocean's yield, 
still his pursuit and his catch cannot equal and can- 
not be legitimately compared to the code and the 

creel of the competent Angler. 

C. B. 

Richmond Hill, 

Long Island, N. Y., 

March, igi6. 



AUTHOR'S ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

The article "Fly Fishing for Trout," I contributed 
in its original form to Sports Afield, Mr. Claude 
King's Western journal. 

^The article "Trout and Trouting, " as I originally 
prepared it, was entitled "Near-by Trout Streams," 
and was written for and published in Outing, when I 
was field editor of that delightful magazine. 

"Trouting in Canadensis Valley" is rewritten from 
a little story of mine penned at the suggestion of the 
noted angler and ichthyologist, the late William C. 
Harris, and published by him in his The American 
Angler when I became his managing editor. 

"Trout Flies, Artificial and Natural" and "The 
Brook Trout Incognito" are elaborations of studies 
I composed for Forest and Stream. 

And many of the items in "Little Casts," etc., are 
from a collection of paragraphs I have contributed 
to the New York Herald, the New York Press, and 
various sporting periodicals in past years. 

The extracts from the article by Willis Boyd Allen 
are reprinted by permission of Scribner's Magazine, 

For the little pen-and-ink sketches I am indebted 
to our jovial artist, Leppert. 

The picture, "Taking the Fly,** is a reproduc- 
tion from an etching in my possession, presented 
to me by Mr. William M. Carey, whose etchings 
and paintings in oil are well known to American 
sportsmen. 

"The Fly Rod's Victim" is reproduced from a 



xiv A.\itHor*s AcKno-wledgments 

photograph framed in birch bark and presented to 
me by the poet, Isaac McLellan. 

"The Brook Trout" illustration is from a pho- 
tograph of a captive specimen in an aquarium, the 
engraving being loaned me by the late John P. 
Burkhard. 



1 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I.— The Holy Anglers . . . i 



II. — Histories of the Trouts — How 
THE Angler Takes them 

III. — The Angler and the Fisherman 

IV. — Fly-Fishing 

V. — Walton's Way . 

VI. — The Wanton Way 

VII. — Fly-Fishing for Trout 

VIII. — The Angler's Prayer — Save the 
Woods and Waters 

IX. — Trout and Trouting . 

X. — Trouting in Canadensis Valley 

XI. — The Trouter's Outfit 

XII. — Trout Flies, Artificial and 
Natural 

XIII.— The Brook Trout's Rival 

XIV. — Trout on Barbless Hooks 



7 
15 
21 

33 
38 
41 

52 
56 
64 
68 

71 

84 

87 



XVI 



Contents 



CHAPTER 

XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 

XIX. 

XX. 

XXI. 

XXII. 
XXIII. 
XXIV. 

XXV. 
XXVI. 

XXVII. 
XXVIII. 





PAGE 


-The Brook Trout Incognitc 


) . 92 


-Hooking the Trout . 


. 102 


-Doctor Nature . 


. 104 


■The Brook Trout 


. 106 


-The Angler 


. 112 


■Angling 


. 119 


-Trout Flies 


. 133 


-Casting the Fly 


. 138 


-Tackle Talks 


. 142 


-The Angler's Kitchen 


. 149 


-Care and Breeding of Trol 


it . 151 


-The Angler's Clothing 


AND 


Footwear 


. 153 


-Little Casts 


. 155 


-Borrowed Lines 


. 157 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



A Morning's Catch of Trout near Spokane, 
Washington .... Frontispiece , 



Brook Trout . . 

Malm A (Dolly Varden) Trout . 

Lake (Mackinaw) Trout . 

Oquassa (Blue-Back) Trout 

Brown Trout .... 

Yellowstone Trout . 

Saibling Trout (Long-Fin Charr) 

Rainbow Trout .... 

Lake Tahoe Trout 

Steel-Head Trout 

An Unusual Way of Taking the Fly 

The Trout Brook . . . . 



8' 
%' 
8- 

ID 
10 
10 
10 
12 
12 
12 
46 

66 



XVll 



The Determined Angler 



CHAPTER I 

THE HOLY ANGLERS 

"The greater number of them [Christ's disciples] were found 
together, fishing, by Jesus, after His Resurrection." — Izaak 
Walton. 

"... certain poor fishermen coming in very weary after a 
night of toil (and one of them very wet after swimming ashore) 
found their Master standing on the bank of the lake waiting for 
them. But it seems that He must have been busy in ttieir 
behalf while he was waiting; for there was a bright fire of coals 
on the shore, and a goodly fish broiling thereon, and bread to eat 
with it. And when the Master had asked them about their fishing 
he said: 'Come, now, and get your breakfast.' So they sat down 
around the fire, and with His own hands he served them with 
the bread and the fish."— Henry van Dyke. 

"The first men that our Saviour dear 
Did choose to wait upon Him here, 
Blest fishers were. ..." 

W. Basse. 

"I would . . . fish In the sky whose bottom is pebbly with 
stars. " — Thoreau. 

The principal fishes of the Sea of Galilee to-day are 
the same as they were two thousand years ago — 

I 



2 TKe Determined Angler 

bream and chub. These were taken in olden times 
by both net and hook and line. 

The fishermen whom Christ chose as His disciples — 
Peter, Andrew, James, and John — were professional 
net fishermen, but hook and line fishing was a favorite 
pastime of the well-to-do Egyptians as well as the 
poor people who could not afford a net. 

Weirs not unlike the modern article were used in 
the Holy Land in Bible time, excepting on Lake 
Gennesaret, where the law of the land forbade them. 

The bream and the chub were eaten alike by rich 
and poor people. Wayfarers roasted them over chip 
fires in the groves and on the lake shores, housewives 
boiled and broiled them, and the wealthy man served 
them at his banquets. "Moses, the friend of God," 
writes Izaak Walton, in his immortal Compleat Angler, 
quoting from Lev. xi., 9, Deut., xiv., 9, "appointed 
fish to be the chief diet for the best commonwealth 
that ever yet was. The mightiest feasts have been of 
fish." 

Our Saviour "fed the people on fish when they were 
hungry." The species is not alluded to in the Biblical 
paragraph, but no doubt the fish feasts of the Lord 
were mostly of chub and bream. Jesus loved fishermen 
and was in their society most of His time. No other 
class of men were so well favored by Him. He inspired 
St. Peter, St. John, St. Andrew, and St. James, poor 
fishermen, who drew their nets for the people, and these 
four fishermen, declares Father Izaak, "He never 
reproved for their employment or calling, as he did 
scribes and money changers." 

The Lord's favorite places of labor and repose — 
the places He most frequented — were near the fishes 
and fisherman. "He began to teach by the seaside. 



THe Holy Anglers 3 

His pulpit was a fishing boat or the shore of a lake. 
He was in the stern of the boat, asleep. He was 
always near the water to cheer and comfort those who 
followed it." And Walton tells us that ''when God 
intended to reveal high notions to His prophets He 
carried them to the shore, that He might settle their 
mind in a quiet repose." 

Bream and chub are not monster fishes — they do 
not average the great weights of the tarpon and the 
tuna; they are of the small and medium-size species; 
so, if the apostles were pleased with "ye gods and little 
fishes," we mortals of to-day should be satisfied with 
our catch, be it ever so small. 



APPELLATIONS OF THE TROUTS 

Trout, Bear: See Lake Trout 
Trout, Beardslee: See Crescent Lake Blue-Back 
Trout, Black-spotted Salmon 
Trout, Blue-Back: See Oquassa Trout 
Trout, Brook 
Trout, Brown 

Trout, Canada: See Greenland Trout 

Trout, Canada Sea: See Brook Trout and Greenland Trout 
Trout, Colorado River: See Black-Spotted 
Trout, Columbia River: See Black-Spotted 
Trout, Cousin: See Roach 
Trout, Crescent Lake Blue-Back 
Trout, Crescent Lake Long-Headed 
Trout, Crescent Lake Speckled 
Trout, Dolly Varden: See Malma Trout 
Trout, Dublin Pond 
Trout, European Brown 
Trout, Fresh- Water Cod: See Lake Trout 
Trout, Golden: See Rainbow Salmon Trout and Sunapee 
Trout, Great Lakes: See Mackinaw 
Trout, Green: See Black Bass 
Trout, Green-Back 
Trout, Greenland 

Trout, Hard-Head: See Steel-Head Salmon Trout 
Trout, Jordan 

Trout, Kansas River: See Kansas River Salmon Trout 
Trout, Kern River: See Rainbow 
Trout, Lac de Marbre 
Trout, Lake 

Trout, Lake Salmon : See Lake Trout 
Trout, Lake Southerland Salmon 
Trout, Lake Southerland Spotted: See Jordan's Trout 

4 



Appellations of tHe Trovits 5 

Trout, Lake Tahoe: See Lake Tahoe Salmon Trout 

Trout, Lewis: See Yellowstone Trout 

Trout, Loch Leven 

Trout, Lunge: See Lake Trout 

Trout, Mackinaw: See Mackinaw Lake Trout 

Trout, Mackinaw Lake 

Trout, Malma 

Trout, Marston: See Lac de Marbre Trout 

Trout, Mountain: See Brook Trout, Small-Mouth Black Bass, 

and Rainbow Salmon Trout 
Trout, Mt. Whitney: See Rainbow 
Trout, Mucqua Lake: See Lake Trout 
Trout, Namaycush: See Lake Trout 
Trout, Namaycush Lake 
Trout, Nissuee: See Rainbow 
Trout, Noshee: See Rainbow 
Trout, Oquassa 

Trout, Pickerel: See Long Island Pickerel 
Trout, Pickerel: See Long Island Pickerel 
Trout, Pike: See Long Island Pickerel 
Trout, Pike: See Long Island Pickerel 
Trout, Rainbow: See Rainbow Salmon Trout 
Trout, Rainbow Lake: See Rainbow Salmon Trout 
Trout, Red: See Lac de Marbre Trout 
Trout, Red-Spotted: See Malma Trout 
Trout, Rio Grande : See Rio Grande Salmon Trout 
Trout, Rio Grande Salmon 
Trout, Saibling 
Trout, Salmon 

Trout, Sea: See Greenland Trout and Brook Trout 
Trout, Silver: See Black-Spotted Salmon Trout and Lake Tahoe 

Salmon Trout 
Trout, Siskawitz: See Lake Trout 
Trout, Siscowet: See Lake Trout 
Trout, Stone's: See Rainbow 
Trout, Sunapee 
Trout, Tahoe 

Trout, Togue: See Lake Trout 
Trout, Truckee: See Lake Tahoe 
Trout, Tuladi: See Lake Trout 
Trout. Utah 



6 THe Determined Angler 

Trout, Waha Lake: See Waha Lake Salmon Trout 

Trout, Waha Lake Salmon 

Trout, Western Oregon Brook: See Rainbow 

Trout, White: See Sunapee 

Trout, Winipiseogee : See Lake Trout 

Trout, Yellow-Fin 

Trout, Yellowstone 



{ 



CHAPTER II 

HISTORIES OF THE TROUTS — HOW THE ANGLER TAKES 
THEM 

Trout, Brook (Speckled Trout, Mountain Trout, 
Fontinalis, Speckled Beauty, Spotted Trout, etc.): 
Caught in the spring and summer in clear streams, 
lakes, and ponds, on the artificial fly. Favors eddies, 
riffles, pools, and deep spots under the banks of the 
stream and near rocks and fallen trees. Feeds on 
small fish, flies, and worms. Breeds in the autumn. 
Weighs up to ten pounds in large waters. There is a 
record of one weighing eleven pounds. This specimen 
was taken in northwestern Maine. Averages three 
quarters of a pound to one pound and a half in the 
streams, and one pound to three pounds in the lakes 
and ponds. Occurs between latitude 323^2° and 55°, 
in the lakes and streams of the Atlantic watershed, 
near the sources of a few rivers flowing into the 
Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico, and some of the 
southern affluents of Hudson Bay, its range being 
limited by the western foothills of the Alleghanies, 
extending about three hundred miles from the coast, 
except about the Great Lakes, in the northern tribu- 
taries of which it abounds. It also inhabits the head- 
waters of the Chattahoochee, in the southern spurs of 
the Georgia Alleghanies and tributaries of the Catawba 
in North Carolina, and clear waters of the great islands 

7 



8 THe Determined Angler 

of the Gulf of St. Lawrence — Anticosti, Cape Breton, 
Prince Edward, and Newfoundland; and abounds in 
New York, Michigan, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, 
Maine, Long Island, Canada, Wisconsin, New Hamp- 
shire, and Massachusetts. For the larger specimens 
use a six-ounce fly rod; for the tiny mountain speci- 
mens, a four-ounce fly rod. Leaders: Single, fine, 
and long. Reel: Small click. Flies: 6 to 14 on the 
streams and 4 to 6 on the lakes and ponds. Patterns : 
Quaker, Oak, Coachman, Dark Stone, Red Hackle, 
Blue Bottle, Bradford, Wren, Cahil, Brown Drake, 
Brandreth, Canada, Page, Professor, Codun, Dark 
Coachman, and the Palmers — green, gray, red, and 
brown. Use dark colors on bright days and early in 
the season; Hghter shades on dark days, in the evening, 
and as the season grows warmer. 

Trout, Crescent Lake Blue-Back {Salmo beardsleei) : 
Beardslee Trout, etc. A deep-water fish weighing 
up to fourteen pounds, found only in Crescent Lake, 
Washington, and taken during April, May, June, and 
October, chiefly on the troll. Leaps from the water 
when hooked. Color: Upper, deep blue ultramarine; 
lower, white. 

Trout, Crescent Lake Long-Headed (Salmo hath- 
CBcetor) : Closely related to the Steel-Head Trout. A 
deep-water fish of Lake Crescent, Washington, caught 
only on set lines within a foot of the bottom. Will not 
come to the surface; will not take the fly or trolHng 
spoon. Somewhat resembles the speckled trout of Cres- 
cent Lake, though more slender and of lighter color. 

Trout, Crescent Lake Speckled (Salmo crescentis): 
Closely resembles the Steel-Head. Weighs up to ten 




Brook Trout. 




Malma {Dolly Varden) Trout. 




Lake {Mackinaw) Trout. 



Histories of tKe Trovits 9 

pounds. Found in Crescent Lake, Washington. An 
excellent game fish. 

Trout, Dublin Pond {Salvelinus agassizii): In- 
habitant of Center and Dublin Pond and Lake Monad- 
nock, etc., New Hampshire. Differs from the Brook 
Trout in being pale gray in color and more slender. 
Reaches a length of eight inches. Brook Trout tackle. 

Trout, Green-Back {Salmo stomias): A small 
black-spotted species, inhabiting the head waters of 
the Arkansas and Platte rivers; abundant in brooks, 
streams, and shallow parts of lakes. Common in the 
waters near Leadville and in Twin Lakes, Colorado, 
in company with the Yellow-Fin Trout, which see. 
Weighs up to one pound. 

Trout, Greenland (Canada Sea Trout) : Caught in 
midsummer on medium Brook Trout tackle in Labra- 
dor, the rivers of considerable size in Canada, and the 
lakes of Greenland. Rivals the Atlantic Salmon in 
size, and is a fine sporting species. Averages two 
pounds in weight. It frequents the sandy pits that 
are uncovered at half -tide. Higher up the rivers it is 
found in the pools. 

Trout, Jordan*s {Salmo jardani) : Lake Southerland 
Spotted Trout, etc. Inhabits Lake Southerland, 
west of Puget Sound. Caught on the artificial fly as 
late as October, and is a great leaper. Is black- 
spotted. Resembles the Utah Trout in color and the 
Steel-head Trout in shape. 

Trout, Kamloops (Salmo kamloops): Stit-tse, etc. 
A form of the Steel-Head. Abounds in Okanogan, 



10 THe Determined Angler 

Kamloops, Kootenai lakes, and other waters tributary 
to the Frazer and upper Columbia rivers. Taken 
chiefly on the troll. A large, gamy, graceful, slender 
fish. Color: Dark olive above, bright silvery below. 

Trout, Lac de Marbre (Sahelinusmarstoni) : Marston 
Trout, etc. Found in Lac de Marbre, near Ottawa, 
the lakes of the Lake St. John district, Lac a Cassette 
in Rimouski county, and Lake Soccacomi and the Red 
Lakes in Maskinonge County, Canada. Takes the 
fly readily. Color: Upper, dark brown; below, whitish 
pink unspotted. Reaches a length of one foot. 

Trout, Lake (Togue, Fresh-Water Cod, Tuladi, 
Lunge, etc.): Caught on medium tackle with the 
troll and minnow bait in deep water, and, early in the 
season, near the surface, the young rising to artificial 
trout flies in rapid water. Occurs in all the great lakes 
of New Brunswick and in many similar waters in 
Maine. Attains a weight of twenty-one pounds. 
Haunts deep water as a rule, though often steals to 
the shoals and shores in search of food, small fish, 
early in the morning and at twilight. 

Trout, Lake (Siscowet, Siskawitz): Caught on 
medium tackle and small-fish bait along the north 
shores of Lake Superior. Haunts deep water and feeds 
upon a species of sculpin. Attains a weight of thirty 
pounds; averages four pounds. Its habits closely 
resemble those of the Mackinaw Lake Trout. 

Trout, Lake (Mucqua, Bear Trout, etc.) : Caught 
in deep water on medium tackle and small-fish bait 
on the south shore of Lake Superior. Closely re- 




Brown Trout. 




Yellowstone Trout. 




Saibling Trout {Long-fin Chart). 



I 



Histories of tHe Xro\its 1 1 

sembles the Siscowet Lake Trout of the same lake, if 
it is not, as many think, merely a local variety of the 
same form. 

Trout, Lake (Winipiseogee Trout): Caught on 
medium tackle and small-fish bait in Lake Winipiseo- 
gee and supposedly in Lake George. 

Trout, Lake (Mackinaw Trout, Namaycush, Lake 
Salmon, Salmon Trout, etc.) : Caught with medium 
tackle on the troll and with minnow bait in deep 
water in the chain of Great Lakes from Superior to 
Ontario, also in Lake Champlain, New York, and 
other lakes of the United States and British America, 
occurring also to the northeastward, in Mackinaw 
River and in the Knowall River, Alaska. Is known 
as Mackinaw Trout in Lakes Huron, Michigan, and 
Superior, and as Lake Salmon and Salmon Trout in 
the lakes of northern New York. Is said to at- 
tain a weight of ninety pounds and a length of six 
feet. 

Trout, Malma (Dolly Varden Trout, Bull Trout, 
Speckled Trout, Lake Trout, Red-Spotted Trout, 
Salmon Trout, Chewagh, etc.): Caught on Brook 
Trout tackle in fresh water and Black Bass tackle in 
the ocean. Occurs in northern California, west of the 
Cascade Range, throughout the Aleutian Islands, and 
northward to Colville River in Alaska, and is not 
unknown at Behring Island, and Plover Bay, Siberia. 
Taken in the sea it is called Salmon Trout; in the 
lakes it is called by all the names parenthesized above. 
In salt water it feeds upon shrimp, smelt, young 
trout, sand lance, anchovy, herring, etc. ; in fresh water 



12 THe Determined Angler 

small fish, worms, etc. Weighs up to fourteen pounds 
in the ocean; averages smaller in the lakes. 

Trout, Oquassa (Blue-Back Trout): Caught on 
Brook Trout tackle in the lakes of western Maine, 
New York, and New Hampshire. Attains a length of 
ten inches. 

Trout, Saibling: Caught on Brook Trout tackle in 

Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, and 
Wisconsin. A native of northwestern Europe, in- 
troduced in American Brook Trout waters. 

Trout, Sunapee (Sahelinus aureolus) : American 
SaibUng, White Trout, Golden Trout, Charr, etc. A 
native of Sunapee Lake, N. H., and Flood Pond, 
Ellsworth, Maine, now being introduced in other lakes. 
Favors deep water; takes live bait. Weighs up to 
twelve pounds. 

Trout, Utah (Salmo virginalis): Abounds in the 
streams and lakes of Utah west of the Wasatch Moun- 
tains — in Utah Lake and the Sevier, Jordan, Bear, and 
Provo rivers. Weighs up to twelve pounds. 

Trout, Yellow-Fin {Salmo macdonaldi) : Found in 
Twin Lakes, Colorado, in company with the Green- 
Back Trout, from which it is distinct in color, habits, 
and size. Weighs up to nine pounds. Is caught on 
the artificial fly and with the troll. Favors gravel 
bottom in deep water. 

Trout, Yellowstone {Salmo lewisi): Abundant in { 
Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming, and throughout the 




Rainbow Trout. 




Steel-head Trout. 



Histories of tHe Troxits 13 

Snake River Basin above Shoshone Falls, and the 
headwaters of the Missouri. 

Salmon Trout, Black-Spotted (Silver Trout, Black 
Trout, Black-Spotted Trout, Preestl, etc.): Caught 
on the artificial fly in the Rocky Mountain region, the 
lakes of New Mexico, Utah, Western Colorado, Wyom- 
ing, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. The 
young are abundant in Puget Sound, and are occasion- 
ally taken along the California coast. Weighs up to 
thirty pounds. 

Salmon Trout, Brown (Brown Trout, etc.) : Caught 
on the artificial fly practically the same as Brook 
Trout are taken. Same rods, tackle, and flies. In- 
troduced in this country from Europe. Weighs up to 
twenty pounds. 

Salmon Trout, Kansas River: Caught on Brook 
Trout tackle from the Kansas River to the upper 
Missouri. Reaches twenty-four inches in length. 

Salmon Trout, Lake Southerland (Salmo declivi- 
frons): Found only in Lake Southerland. Reaches 
a length of ten inches ; is very gamy ; takes the fly, and 
leaps. 

Salmon Trout, Lake Tahoe (Lake Tahoe Trout, Sil- 
ver Trout, Black Trout, etc.) : Caught in Lake Tahoe, 
Pyramid Lake, and the streams of the Sierra Nevada 
on Brook Trout tackle. Weighs up to twenty pounds. 

Salmon Trout, Loch Leven (Loch Leven Trout, etc.) : 
Introduced to this country from Europe, in streams in 



14 THe Determined Angler 

Michigan, Maine, and other States. Is taken on the 
artificial fly the same as Brook Trout. 

Salmon Trout, Rainbow (Rainbow Trout, Golden 
Trout, Golden Salmon, Brook Trout, Speckled Trout, 
Mountain Trout, etc.): Caught with the artificial 
fly in fresh streams and salt rivers. Occurs from near 
the Mexican line to Oregon and has been successfully 
introduced in the Eastern and Northern States, where 
it is taken upon ordinary Brook Trout tackle — light 
fly rod, fine leader, click reel, etc. Flies, same as those 
flailed for Brook Trout. Season: Same as Brook 
Trout. Weighs up to six pounds. 

Salmon Trout, Rio Grande : Abundant in the head- 
waters of the Rio Grande, Rio Colorado, and their 
tributaries; occurs in Bear River and the streams of 
Utah. 

Salmon Trout, Steel-Head (Hard-Head, Steel- 
Head Trout, etc.) : Caught mostly in nets. Reaches 
a weight of twenty-two pounds. Found along the 
Pacific coast from the Sacramento River northward 
to Alaska. Abundant in the Columbia and Frazer 
rivers in the spring. Inhabits river-mouths. 

Salmon Trout, Waha Lake (Waha Lake Trout, etc.) : 
Caught on Brook Trout tackle. A local form of the 
Black-Spotted Salmon Trout, found in Waha Lake, a 
landlocked mountain tarn in Washington. 



CHAPTER III 

THE ANGLER AND THE FISHERMAN 

One profound proof of the soundness in the philo- 
sophy that teaches against wantonly wasteful slaugh- 
ter in the chase is the disinclination on the part of 
certain so-called sportsmen — a vulgar gentry that 
resort to the woods and waters solely because it is 
fashionable to do so — and their guides to honorably 
dispose of their game after the killing. These greedy 
snobs are viciously adverse to losing a single bird or 
fish in the pursuit, but they think little of letting the 
game rot in the sun after the play. With this fact 
easily provable any day in the year, it may be said 
that outside of market fishing and camp fishing for 
the pot the one real object in fishing and angling is the 
pursuit itself and not the quarry. 

In baseball, it's the game, not the bases; in archery, 
it's the straightest shooting, not the target. True, we 
play cards for prizes, but surely as much for the game 
itself, not altogether for the prizes, because it is pos- 
sible to buy the prizes or their equivalent outright or 
take the prizes by force. 

My bayman develops fits bordering closely upon 
incurable hysteria if I lose a single bluefish in the play, 
but he worries not when he goes ashore with a sloopful 
of hand-liners and half a hundred fish he cannot make 
good use of. 

15 



i6 THe Determined Angler 

"Pull it in! you'll lose it!" "We could catch a 
hundred if you wouldn't fool!" "The other boats'll 
beat us badly!" "There's a million right 'round the 
boat!" 

These are a few of his excitable expressions. But, 
when I say to him, "What's the difference, Captain, 
in losing one or two fish here and wasting half a 
hundred on shore?" he calms down for a minute or 
two. Only for a minute or two, however, for he's in 
the game solely for fish, not the fishing. It's all 
numbers and size with him, and he's encouraged in 
this greed by nine out of every ten men he takes 
aboard his boat. 

"We caught fifty," says Tom. 

"We caught a hundred and ten, " says Dick. 

"We caught two hundred and sixty, " says Harry. 

"And so the bayman brags, too, because it's purely 
business with him. 

I have always found the greatest pleasure in fishing 
is the fishing and not the blood and bones associated 
with the pursuit. I would rather take five fair fish on 
fine tackle correctly manipulated than fill the hold 
with a hundred horrid monsters mastered by mere 
strength, as in hand-line trolling for bluefish in the 
ocean and for muskellonge, etc., in fresh water. 

"But," says Captain Getem.anyway, "I can catch 
more fish with a hand-line than you can with your 
fine rod and reel." 

"Of course you can, " I reply, "and you could catch 
more if you used a net, a stick of dynamite, or a shot- 
gun." 

If it's the fish alone that is the object of the Angler's 
eye, why resort to any sort of tackle when there's a 
fish stall in every bailiwick? 



TKe Angler and the FisHerman 17 

There is great need of enlightenment in the common 
ethics of angling. Many persons are under the im- 
pression that quantity rather than quality makes the 
Angler's day. 

According to their view of the pursuit, fishing is 
judged by figures, as in finance — glory to the man 
with the biggest balance. This is not so, because with 
this view accepted, Rockefeller would shine above 
Christ, Shakespeare, and Lincoln. 

The mere catch — the number of fish taken — is only 
one little detail ; it is not all of angling. If it were, the 
superior fisherman would be the man who got his fish 
in any manner. 

Some of our greatest Anglers purposely never excel 
in the matter of numbers. The Angler's true qualities 
are based on the application of correct tackle, correct 
methods in fishing, and a correct appreciation of the 
pursuit, the game, the day, and the craft. 

'Tis the day and the play, not the heads and hides 
that count. 

An ancient writer says of the royal hounds: ''The 
hunter loves to see the hounds pursue the hare, and he 
is glad if the hare escapes." So it is in angling; we do 
not wish to catch all the fish we can take in any fashion. 
We want to take some of them in a proper manner 
with appropriate implements. 

'*I can catch more trout with the angleworm and 
more bass with the trolling spoon than you can with 
the artificial fly, " says Robert. 

'' Of course you can, Robert, " say I, " and you could 
catch still more if you spread a screen across the tiny 
stream or set a trap, or if you used a set line with a 
hundred hooks, just as the target shooter might more 
readily puncture the circle with a charge of shot than 



i8 THe Determined A.ngler 

with the single bullet, or just as the greedyman with a 
blunderbuss might excel in number the wing shot by- 
potting quail bunched on the ground instead of chival- 
rously bagging single birds on the wing with a perti- 
nent arm. 

The neophyte always confounds the angler with the 
indiscriminate fisherman and so implicates the angler 
in the cruelty and wastefulness associated with mere 
chance fishing, when in fact the Angler is the real 
propagator and protector of the fishes, and is in no 
sense cruel or wasteful. 

The laws that prohibit greedy catches, and protect 
the mother fish in breeding time, are made by, enforced 
by, and supported financially by the Angler. 

The rearing of the fishes that are placed in depleted 
waters was originated by, is conducted by, and is paid 
for by the Angler. 

No other class has earnestly bothered its head, 
honestly lifted its hands, or liberally opened its purse 
in these matters, and the nearest association man in 
general has with the preservation of both wild fish 
and fowl is in uttering a cowardly, false accusation 
against the one who really deserves sole credit for the 
work, the sportsman, the genuine field sportsman, not 
the vicious sporting man of the race track, cockpit, 
and gambling den — two distinct species of animal, as 
vastly separated in character as the deerhound and the 
dragon. 

And why this charge against the innocent ? Simply 
because the guilty wish to shield and profit themselves, 
as the thief cries fire that he may pick your pocket in 
the panic that ensues. 

But then there is a well meaning but wholly un- 
enHghtened element, that, influenced by the cry of the 



TKe Ang'ler and tHe FisKerman 19 

methodical spoiler, ignorantly condemns the honest 
man — the really humane men and women who are 
sincere in their condemnation but totally ignorant of 
their subject. 

One of this sort, an estimable woman in public life, 
loudly preaches against the chase and is all the time 
drawing dividends that provide her with the means to 
indulge in the vulgarest and crudest of fashionable 
extravagances — among them the wool of the unborn 
lamb, furs from the backs of fast-disappearing quad- 
rupeds, and feathers of the farmers' most valuable 
insect-destroying song birds — and these wicked 
dividends derived from several acid factories, a gas 
house, a power plant, and a dye works that have not 
only killed off the trillions of fishes in several rivers 
but destroyed forever the very habitat of the species ! 

Another of this sort is well exemplified in the char- 
acter of an old gentleman in Pennsylvania who loudly 
proclaims against trout fishing, but who utterly ruins 
nearly eight miles of trout water, once the home of 
thousands of lordly fish, by permitting his mill hands 
to run off sawdust in the streams. 

This poor, ignorant soul objects to you and me chi- 
valrously taking half a dozen specimens on the fly — 
catching the cunning trout with an imitation of the 
living thing itself destroys by the thousands for food 
and play — while he mercilessly slaughters the entire 
immediate supply, and prevents further propagation 
of the whole species with the refuse of his forest- 
devastating, money-making machine. 

True," the Angler like all fishermen, and like the 
fishes themselves, kills his specimens, but this killing 
is ordained by nature herself — at least it has better 
grounds for excuse, if excuse it needs, than that ten- 



20 TKe Determined Angler 

fold more destructive killing hy the fishes that not only 
slay for food, but actually mutilate millions upon 
millions of their kind for the mere play afforded them 
in this practice — and though the Angler may be in the 
wrong when he humanely dispatches a few of the 
batch he breeds, he is not as hopeless as the wanton 
fisher, or as brutal as the unenlightened "reformers," 
the so-called humane lady with the fashionable furs 
and feathers of fast-disappearing species she never 
turns a hair to replenish or protect, and the old 
gentleman hypocrite with his murderous sawmill. 



CHAPTER IV 

FLY-FISHING 

"Of all sports, commend me to angling; it is the wisest, vir- 
tuousest, best." — Thomas Hood. 

When I go fishing, it is for the purpose of catching 
fish; when I go angling — fly-fishing — it is the soul I 
seek to replenish, not the creel. 

'"' One of the charms of angling, " says Pritt, "is that 
it presents an endless field for argument, speculation, 
and experiment." 

True, but Anglers have no argument in the first 
feature of their pastime — the object of it. Fishermen 
and men wfio do not go fishing or angling argue that 
the object sought by the Angler is the fish, but Anglers 
all agree that the game is but one of the trillion of 
pleasant things that attract them to the pursuit of it. 

They argue and speculate and experiment in the 
matter of rods and tackle, and they argue as to 
the virtues of the various species, the qualities of the 
waters, the conditions of the weather, but they have 
ever been and ever will be calmly agreed as to the 
object of it all — the love of studying rather than de- 
stroying the game, the love of the pursuit itself. 

They angle because of its healthfulness, and the 
consequent exhilaration of mind and body that 
attends the gentle practice, not merely for the fishes 

21 



22 TKe Determined Angler 

it may procure them, or for the sake of killing some- 
thing, as the unenlightened person charges, for the 
death of an animal, to the Angler, is the saddest 
incident of his day. 

All things animate, man included, were made to kill 
and to be killed. The only crimes in killing are in 
killing our own kind, and in killing any kind in- 
humanly. 

And, of all creatures, the Angler is the least offender 
in" these crimes. The very game he seeks, though 
beautiful and gentle to the eye, and, at times, noble in 
deed and purpose, is the most brutal killer of all the 
races — the lovely trout in its attacks upon gaudy flies, 
the valiant bass and pike in devouring their smaller 
brethren, and the multitudinous sea-fishes, not alone 
in their feeding upon one another, but in their wanton 
murder of the millions upon millions of victims of their 
pure love of slaughter. 

But, of fly-fishing for brook trout: 

"Fly-fishing," says Dr. Henshall, "is the poetry of 
angling"; and "the genuine Angler," says Frederick 
Pond, "is invariably a poet." 

Fly-fishing, the highest order of angling, is indulged 
in in several forms — in fresh water for salmon, trout, 
black bass, grayling, perch, pike-perch, pickerel 
(Long Island brook pickerel), sunfish, roach, dace, 
shad, herring (branch), etc.; in brackish water for 
shad, trout, white perch, etc.; and in salt water for 
bluefish (young), herring (common), mackerel, and — 
doubt not, kind sir, for I am prepared to prove it — 
squeteague(weakfish), plaice (fluke, summer flounder) , 
and other species of both bottom and surface habitats 
— another "endless field for argument, speculation, 
and experiment." 



Fly-FisHing 23 

As there are many forms of fly-fishing, so are there 
many ways of fly-fishing for trout, and many kinds of 
trout, the various forms of brook trout, lake trout, 
and sea trout. 

Volumes would be required to discourse intelli- 
gently upon all these forms of trout and fly-fishing for 
them; so I purpose in this particular instance to 
confine myself to one species and one form of trout 
and one order of fly-fishing. 

The trout referred to is the true brook trout, scien- 
tifically alluded to as Salvelinus fontinalis and com- 
monly called, besides brook trout (its most popular 
name), speckled trout, mountain trout, speckled 
beauty, spotted trout, etc. 

The fly-fishing treated of is that popular form that is 
most indulged in by the Eastern trout fly-fisherman — 
small-stream fishing in the mountains and wooded 
level lands that "carries us," as Davy wrote as far 
away as 1828, "into the most wild and beautiful 
scenery of nature to the clear and lovely streams that 
gush from the high ranges of elevated hills." 

Above all other styles of fly-fishing, it calls for the 
most delicate tackle and the very daintiest hand. 

"How delightful," says the author of Salmonia, 
"in the early spring, after the dull and tedious time of 
winter, when the frosts disappear and the sunshine 
warms the earth and waters, to wander forth by some 
clear stream, to see the leaf bursting from the purple 
bud, to scent the odors of the bank perfumed by the 
violet, and enameled, as it were, with the primrose 
and the daisy; to wander upon the fresh turf below 
the shade of trees, whose bright blossoms are filled 
with the music of the bee; and on the surface of the 
waters to view the gaudy flies sparkling like animated 



24 TKe Determined Angler 

gems in the sunbeams, whilst the bright and beautiful 
trout is watching them from below ; to hear the twitter- 
ing of the water-birds, who, alarmed at your approach, 
rapidly hide themselves beneath the flowers and leaves 
of the water-lily; and, as the season advances, to find 
all these objects changed for others of the same kind, 
but better and brighter, till the swallow and the trout 
contend as it were for the May fly, and till in pursuing 
your amusement in the calm and balmy evening you 
are serenaded by the songs of the cheerful thrush, 
performing the offices of paternal love in thickets 
ornamented with the rose and woodbine." 

The other forms of fly-fishing for trout, the pursuit 
of larger specimens of the same species in larger waters, 
the lakes and ponds and rivers — all equally inviting 
by their gentle requirements and the ** beautiful 
scenery of nature" — deserve special treatment, be- 
cause, as in fly-fishing for salmon {salmo salar), the 
very top notch of all forms of angling, the play, the 
player, the scenes, and the accessories are sufficiently 
different to confound the reader I am mainly endeav- 
oring to amuse with these particular lines. 

Small stream fly-fishing for brook trout belongs in a 
class just between fly-fishing for the brook trout of 
broader waters, the lakes and ponds, and fly-fishing 
for salmon in the lordly rivers of Maine and Canada. 

The brook trout is angled for in the spring and 
summer, principally with the artificial fly, and by the 
chivalric Angler only with the artificial fly, though 
many greedy fishermen of trifling experience and 
wholly deprived of the true spirit of angling — in that 
they fish for the fish alone and judge their day and 
play solely by the size of their catch — contrive to 
convince us that the live lure is equally honorable, 



riy-FisHin^ 25 

notwithstanding that the cruel, clumsy, uncleanly, 
unfair, wasteful practice of live-bait trout fishing is 
condemned by every truly gentle disciple and 
practical authority. 

Most advocates of live-bait trout fishing, who would 
have us believe that their method is entitled to recogni- 
tion in the same category with fiy-fishing, proudly 
proclaim that this should be because they "can catch 
more fish with the worm or minnow than the Angler 
can catch with his fly." 

If this reasoning is to settle the debate, if killing and 
quantity compose the Angler's axiom, why not resort 
to still more productive means — dynamite, or net the 
stream instead of gently fishing it ? 

No, the trout fly-fisherman abhors trout bait-fishing 
for the same reason the wing shot prefers his appro- 
priate arm to a cannon; the yachtsman, his gentle 
craft to a man-o'-war; the horseman, his trained 
mount to a locomotive; the archer, his arrow instead 
of a harpoon; and so I might go on in similes that 
would burlesque every form of recreative amusement 
in the world. 

The brook trout breeds in the autumn, favors 
eddies, rifHes, pools, and deep spots under the banks of 
the stream, and near rocks and fallen trees, and feeds 
on flies, small fish, worms, and other small life forms. 

Its shape, weight, size, and color are influenced by its 
food, its age, its activity, its habitat, and its habits. 
Its color corresponds to the color of the water bottom 
and will change as the water bottom changes. If 
removed to a new water, where the bottom color is 
different from the bottom color of its first abode — 
lighter or darker, as the case may be, — it will gradually 
grow to a corresponding shade, blending with its new 



26 THe Determined Angler 

habitat just as its colors suited the stones and grasses 
and earthy materials of its native domain. 

In weight, the brook trout ranges up to ten pounds 
in large waters. There is a record of one weighing 
eleven pounds. This specimen was taken in North- 
western Maine. The species averages threequarters 
of a pound to one pound and a half in the streams, and 
one pound to three pounds in the lakes and ponds. 
It occurs between latitude 32>^° and 55°, in the lakes 
and streams of the Atlantic watershed, near the 
sources of a few rivers flowing into the Mississippi 
and the Gulf of Mexico, and some of the southern 
affluents of Hudson Bay, its range being limited by the 
western foothills of the Alleghanies, extending about 
three hundred miles from the coast, except about the 
Great Lakes, in the northern tributaries of which it 
abounds. It also inhabits the headwaters of the 
Chattahoochee, in the southern spurs of the Georgia 
Alleghanies, and tributaries of the Catawba in North 
Carolina and clear waters of the great islands of the 
Gulf of St. Lawrence — Anticosti, Cape Breton, Prince 
Edward, and Newfoundland; and abounds in New 
York, Michigan, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maine, 
Long Island, Canada, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, 
and Massachusetts. 

My favorite rod for stream tiout fishing is a cork- 
handled, all-lancewood rod of three or four ounces in 
weight and eight feet in length, or a rod of similar 
length weighing four or five ounces and made of split 
bamboo — the best split bamboo of the best workman- 
ship. The cheap, so-called split bamboo of the dry- 
goods store bargain (?) counter, retailed for a price 
that would not pay for the mere wrapping of the 
correct article, is a flimsy, decorative thing, and would 



riy-FisHing 27 

collapse, or, worse still, bend one way and stay that 
way, if used on the stsream. The fly-rod material 
must be springy and resiliently so, and the rod must 
be constructed so as to permit of this condition. 

The reel I favor is a small, narrow, light, all-rubber 
or narrow aluminum common-click reel, holding 
twenty-five yards of the thinnest-calibered silk, water- 
proof-enameled line. 

My leader is a brown-stained one of silk gut, twelve 
feet in length. The leader should be fresh and firm, 
flexible and fine, not a dried-up, brittle, unyielding, 
snappy snarl of the salesman's discarded sample box 
that breaks at the mere touch, or releases the flies at 
the first cast or parts at the first strike — if by some 
miraculous mischance you get this far with it. The 
leaders, a half-dozen of them, should be carried, when 
not in actual use, in a flat, aluminum, pocket-fitting 
box between two dampened flannel mats (though not 
preserved this way in close season) , so as to have them 
thoroughly limp from being water soaked, that you 
may more readily and more safely adjust them, for 
break they surely will if handled in a dry state. 

The willow creel, in which the spoil of the day is 
deposited, should be, I think, about the size of a small 
hand-satchel. To this is fastened a leather strap, 
with a broad, shoulder-protecting band of stout canvas. 
This I sling over the right shoulder, allowing the creel 
to hang above the back part pf the left hip where it 
will least interfere with me during the fight with 
fontinalis. 

The landing net I use is a little one of egg shape, 
made of cane with no metal whatsoever, and it has a 
linen mesh about ten inches in width and eighteen 
inches in length. The handle is a trifle over one foot 



28 TKe Determined Ang'ler 

in length. To this I tie one end of a stout but light- 
weight flexible and small-calibered cord, or a stretch of 
small rubber tube, and the other end of this I tie to a 
button on my coat under my chin, throwing the net 
over my left shoulder to lie on my back until called 
into service. 

The clothing should be of dark-gray wool of light 
weight. I wear a lightly woven gray sweater under 
my coat when the weather is cool. 

I have plenty of pockets in my trouting coat, and I 
make it a practice to tie a string to nearly everything 
I carry in them — shears, hook-file, knife, match-box, 
tobacco-pouch, pipe, purse, field-glasses, fly-book, 
etc. — so that I will not mislay them ordinarily, or 
drop them in the rushing current during some exciting 
moment. 

The headgear I like is a gray, soft felt hat of 
medium brim to protect my eyes in the sun and to sit 
upon in the shade. 

The footwear may consist of waterproof ankle shoes 
attached to rubber or canvas trousers, or of a pair of 
light, close-fitting hip rubber boots. Some Anglers 
wear rubber waterproof combined trousers and 
stockings and any sort of well-soled shoes. In warm 
weather, I affect nothing beyond a pair of old shoes 
with holes cut in both sides to let the water run freely 
in and out, the holes not big enough to admit sand and 
pebbles. 

The artificial flies are of many hundreds of patterns. 
I have a thousand or two, but half a hundred, of sizes 
four to six for the lakes and ponds, and six to fourteen 
for the small streams, are enough to select from during 
a season; two dozen are sufficient for a single trip, 
half a dozen will do to carry to the stream for a day, — 



riy-FisKing 29 

if you don't lose many by whipping them off or getting 
them caught in a tree, — and two are all I use for the 
cast, though a cast of three flies is the favorite of many 
fishermen. I amuse myself by presuming to have a 
special list for each month, week, day, and hour, but 
the extravagantly erratic notions of the trout forbid 
my recommending it to brother rodmen. Trout that 
show a preference for certain flies one day may the next 
day favor entirely different patterns. Sometimes they 
will take an imitation of the natural fly upon the 
water and at other times, being gorged with the 
natural insect, will only strike at some oddly colored 
concoction of no resemblance to any living thing in 
nature; this in play, or in anger, and at other times 
out of pure curiosity. An Angler doesn't need a great 
number of flies — if he knows just what fly the game is 
taking. You can't very well determine this half a 
hundred miles from the fishing ; so you take a variety 
with you and experiment. The flies should be of the 
best make and freshest quality, tied by a practical 
hand — some honest maker who is himself an Angler — 
not the cheap, dried-up, wall-decorative, bastard 
butterflies of the ladies' dry-goods shop, that hybrid 
mess of gaudy waste ribbon-silk and barnyard feather, 
the swindling output of the catch-penny shopman 
whose sweat help do not know — upon my word — the 
name or the purpose of the thing they make. 

Any six of the following list will kill well enough for 
a single day's pleasant fishing in any water at any 
time during the legal season: Dark Coachman, Gray 
and Green Palmer, Ginger Palmer, Alder, Scarlet 
Ibis, Abbey, Imbrie, Professor, Conroy, Reuben 
Wood, March Brown, Orvis, White Miller, Coachman, 
Royal Coachman, Codun, Brown and Red Palmer, 



30 THe Determined Angler 

Brown Hen, Queen of the Water, King of the Water, 
Squires, Black Gnat, Grizzly King, Quaker. 

I use, as a rule, dark colors in clear water, and on 
bright days and early in the season; lighter shades in 
dull water and on dark days, in the evening, and as the 
season grows warmer; but many Anglers philosophize 
just the reverse — use light colors for early season 
fishing and somber hues for midsummer play — hence 
the endless arguments and experiments described as 
one of the charms of the craft. 

I prefer, as I have said, two flies on the leader, and 
my favorite of favorites for all times and all places is a 
cast made up of gnat-size pattern of dark-gray wing 
and pale-blue body, and another of a pecuHar drab- 
cream shade. 

In throwing or casting the fly I never "whip" or 
"flail" the rod, and I never cast with a long line when 
a short one will answer the purpose. Distance alone 
may count in a fly-casting contest, but in the wild 
stream a careful short cast is more effective than a 
clumsy long one. 

I angle with my shadow behind me, and in casting 
the flies endeavor to allow only the flies to touch the 
water. The line frightens the game, and if a trout 
should take a fly on a loose, wavy line, he will not hook 
himself and he will blow the fly from his mouth be- 
fore the Angler is able to hook him. 

In learning to cast the fly, the young Angler should 
start with the leader alone, as I beheve all fly-fishing 
is begun by old and young, and as he lifts the flies 
from the water after the forward cast to make the 
backward motion he should simultaneously draw 
from the reel a half-yard of line and allow time for the 
flies to complete the whole circuit back of him. In 



Fly-FisKing 31 

fly-fishing the cast is not made from the reel as in bait- 
casting; the Hne is drawn from the reel a half-yard at 
a time with the left hand. The line must fully 
straighten itself behind the Angler ere it can be sent 
out straight before him. The flies and at most only 
a little part of the leader should fall lightly upon the 
surface — as we imagine two insects, entangled in a 
delicate cobweb, might fall from a tree branch — and 
be drawn smartly but gently in little jerks a second 
or two in imitation of two tiny live-winged bugs 
fluttering in the water; and then, as the Angler steps 
slowly, firmly, but silently and softly in the current 
downstream, he should repeat the lifting of the flies, 
the drawing off of more line from the reel, and the 
circling backward cast that takes up the slack and 
gives the line its forward force. Thus he should 
continue, deftly placing the lure in every likely spot 
ahead of him in the center of the brook and along its 
moss-lined, flower-decked, rock-bound or grass-fringed 
banks. 

The Angler is careful not to let the trout see him, 
see his shadow, or see the rod, and not to let this 
wisest, most watchful species of all the finny tribes 
hear him or feel the vibration of his body. 

In hooking the trout the Angler strikes the second 
the fish strikes — not by a violent arm movement, but 
by a mere instantaneous nervous backward twist of 
the wrist, as one would instinctively draw up his hand 
from the pierce of a needle point. Many trout are 
hooked the instant the leader is lifted for a new cast, 
and many hook themselves without the slightest effort 
on the part of the Angler. 

When the fish is hooked he should not be flaunted 
in the air, as the boy fisher yanks his pond perch. 



32 XHe Determined Angler 

The prize should be handled as if he were but slightly 
secured, his head should be kept under water, the 
line kept gently taut, and the fish softly led out of 
noisy water and away from stones, long grass, sub- 
merged tree branches or logs. 

If the catch is heavy enough to draw the line from 
the reel it is allowed to do so, but the line should be 
kept taut and reeled in the second he hesitates. 
There need be no hurry. 

After a little while the game's rushes will cease; then 
it should be reeled in, care being taken not to arouse 
it again by the contact of a weed or stone. 

The tip of the rod is now raised over the head and 
back of the Angler until the butt points downward; 
then, if the fish has been reeled in near enough, it is 
secured in the landing net, tail first, and carefully slid 
into the creel through the little square opening for this 
purpose in the lid. 

If you, reader mine, should some day get as far as 
this glorious part of the play, and the fish should be a 
small one, be satisfied; the true Angler is ever of a 
contented heart; if the fish should be too small, set it 
free — the true Angler is always humane and generous ; 
if it should prove fit to feed upon, do not subject it 
to unnecessary suffering — skillfully kill itoutright at 
once ; the true Angler is manly and merciful. 

And, and — good luck to you, brother. 



CHAPTER V 
Walton's way 

"More than half the intense enjoyment of fly-fishing is derived 
from the beautiful surroundings. "—Charles F. Orvis. 

A CLAUSE in a recent tariff bill prohibited the im- 
portation of some of the favorite artificial flies of the 
Angler and likewise prohibited the importation of the 
materials used in making these flies, particularly 
feathers and skins of the valuable song birds whose 
insect-eating prevents the destruction of the trees and 
other foliage absolutely necessary to the preservation 
of the planet upon which man lives. 

This clause was fathered by the wise and welcome 
bird-protecting institutions known as the Audubon 
Societies, and was intended to stop the infamous traffic 
in wild birds for millinery purposes, which, if not 
reformed, means the utter extermination of the 
world's feathered friends. 

The feathers and skins imported annually for arti- 
ficial flies were to come under the same prohibition as 
millinery feathers. 

England has a law prohibiting the importation of 
certain plumage, but specific exception is made for the 
materials used in fly-making. 

There was a foolish opposition to this clause on the 
part of a few professional fly tiers, some of the fly 
3 33 



34 TKe Determined Angler 

dealers, and a lot of fishermen, and these men and 
women Were loud in their declaration that the Angler 
is also opposed to the clause, which, if allowed, they 
think would injure the business of the professional 
fly maker, fly dealer, et al. 

Now the truth is: No Angler was opposed to the 
clause, and the claim that the protection of valuable 
tree-saving birds would hurt trade of any sort is 
absurd. The same sort of foolish objection was made 
to the introduction of the sewing-machine — it was 
said it would prevent a lot of hand-sewing workmen 
from making a living. In a few years man will laugh 
at this silly and selfish individual cry against bird- 
protection with the same ridiculous spirit with which 
he now laughs at the old idiotic objection to the 
sewing-machine. 

A writer in the New York Sim says: "The first 
effect of prohibiting the importation of the feathers 
for flies will be to drive many back to bait-fishing. 
An Angler using bait should take ten trout for every 
one he could kill with a fly. The Government, the 
States, and clubs are spending large sums for the 
stocking of streams with trout. The expenditure 
would scarcely be justified if there is to be bait-fishing 
in these streams — they would soon be fished out. 
Thousands who formerly used bait have taken up fly- 
fishing because it is better sport." 

What does this writer mean by the word "many" — 
the "many "he thinks'that will be driven back to bait 
fishing as the effect of the prohibition of the importa- 
tion of the feathers for flies? Many what? Not 
Anglers, by any means, because the Angler would 
rather merely try to catch his trout with an artificial 
fly made from a feather duster than to be assured of 



Walton's \Vay 35 

catching the game with a worm or minnow or salmon 
egg. The "many" refers to fishermen, or professional 
fly tiers, not Anglers. 

The Angler and the ordinary fisherman are as far 
separated in character and nature as the humming- 
bird and the buzzard are separated in life and lesson. 

The real opposer to bird-protection in this objection 
to the clause prohibiting the importation of bird 
feathers and skins is the commercial fellow, and there 
is no commercial side to angling. 

The Angler is a student as well as a lover of nature, 
and he knows that without the insect-eating birds 
there can be no trees, that without trees there can be 
no waters, that without waters there can be no fishes, 
and that without fishes there can be no fishing. The 
stupid fisherman can't surmount this, and the com- 
mercial fly tier, whose business alone teaches him 
enough of the angling art to be able to figure this 
natural science, thinks too much of his money creel 
to admit it. This pretended ignorance is called good 
business instinct, and the Angler doesn't object to 
men minding their own business, but when business 
instinct runs wild and evokes the effrontery to imply 
that the Angler, a non-commercial being, is opposed 
to the prohibition of earth-valuable bird extermina- 
tion, business instinct is going a little too far with its 
money-mad method. 

The Angler does not condemn the use of correct 
tackle; he's a believer in it, and just as he is sincere in 
his advocacy of proper tackle and in his immaculate 
use of proper tackle, so is he sincere in his profound 
belief in correct methods in fishing. 

The fisherman — the fellow who judges his day by 
the number of fishes he kills in any manner regardless 



36 THe Determined A-ngler 

of season and size — may resort to dynamite, and he 
may not be in sympathy with any of the chivalric 
means, manners, and methods of any of the worldly 
matters, but the Angler is not of this stamp. 

Izaak Walton, the father of fishing, never posed for 
his portrait with half a hundred dead fishes tied to his 
body. Ferns, feathered friends, fiowers, fair skies, 
fine fishing tackle, and fishes embellished his pictures. 

The fish, to the Angler, is only one feature — no 
doubt the main feature — of his favorite pastime, and 
the killing of the fish is not a pleasant part of his 
pursuit; the death of the game is, to the Angler, a sad 
incident, however happy the fisherman may be over 
the slaughter of his greedy mess, and the Angler, 
therefore, could not possibly derive the delights of his 
angling at the sacrifice of the lordly winged creatures 
he so repeatedly thanks his Master for. 

Who ever read an Angler's story without the song 
birds in it? The expression "gentle art" is applied to 
angling and the Angler. Who ever heard of the gentle 
art of fishing! And angling is a gentle art; so, to prac- 
tice it, one must be gentle. 

The Angler will not resort to fishing with live bait 
if the few European artificial flies are excluded from 
his lures, because he can catch all the fishes his gentle 
art entitles him to with the flies of home make. 

The artificial flies of England, Scotland, and Ireland 
are lovely creations of practical as well as beautiful 
design, and the Angler adores them, but, since his gentle 
creel can be filled without them, he'll not insist on their 
importation if it tends in the slightest manner toward 
the extermination of the very things that make possible 
the gentle art of angling — the birds and the trees, 
without which the fishes themselves could not survive. 



I 



W^alton's Way 37 

The world is not composed entirely of fishermen — 
the earth itself should not be sacrificed for a few 
against the multitude — and the Angler, the fisherman 
of quality, is wise enough to appreciate this; his in- 
dividual pastime is not as important as the general 
welfare of the masses, and it will be said that the 
fisherman, who estimates quantity over quality, is far 
less entitled to consideration. 

Angling is a pastime of a craft; the birds, the trees, 
and the waters are necessities of a planet and its 
people. 

Fishing for the market — a distinct method from that 
of the Angler and the common fisherman who fishes 
for the mere sake of killing and counting — is not 
concerned in this argument, and may be dismissed 
with a brief word of commendation. Legitimately 
practiced, discriminately carried on according to the 
law of man and nature, it is even more admirable than 
angling and far more honorable than the wasteful 
pursuit of the vulgar amateur fisherman. Our 
Saviour sanctioned net fishing; chose simple fishermen 
for his disciples — St. Andrew, St. Peter, St. James, and 
St. John. 

The expression, ''fly fisherman," may refer to the 
fisherman or the Angler, for there are lots of fly fisher- 
men as well as mere fishermen who are not Anglers, 
for the reason that fly-fishing, indulged in by a greedy 
hand, can permit of ungentle fish-catching the same as 
bait-fishing. Both methods are equally destructive 
if not followed with strict rules of angling, and all that 
need be said to properly define angling is that it is the 
poetry — the art and refinement — of fishing. The 
common fisherman is simply a fish-basket filler; the 
Angler fills his soul, not the creel. 



CHAPTER VI 



THE WANTON WAY 



" There's an Angler's law, and a court or legal law. The fisher- 
man who adheres to the Angler's law can't break the court law." 
— Seth Fielding. 

Gentility in the limit of the catch and giving the 
fish its sporting chance on hght tackle constitute the 
ethical soul of angling. The fisherman who stops 
fishing when he has a few specimens is angling; he's 
an Angler. The fisherman who fishes with no limit 
in his catch is merely fishing; he's a fisherman, not an 
Angler. 

Any picture of a few fishes may illustrate the catch of 
the Angler, and the photograph on Frontispiece shows 
the catch of the worst type of fisherman — the wanton 
fish exterminator who, ignoring the Angler's gentle 
law, takes his greedy mess because it is according to 
the so-called legal law. 

Dr. William T. Hornaday, author of Wild Life 
Conservation, The American Natural History, Our 
Vanishing Wild Life, etc., and director of the New 
York Zoological Park, has sent me the photograph of 
the greedyman's catch — made near Spokane, Wash- 
ington — with the following notes : 

**The great trouble [in the matter of wasteful fish- 
catching] is not so much with the people who catch 

38 



TKe "Wanton Way 39 

fish as with the brutally destructive laws that permit 
fishermen to catch four or five times as many fish as 
they should. There are a great many sportsmen who 
sincerely believe that it is all right to take all the fish 
and game of all kinds that the law allows. Whenever 
any destruction is waged on that basis I always charge 
it to the abominably liberal laws that in many cases 
seemed framed to promote destruction. Ninety-nine 
per cent, of the streams of this country very soon will 
be so nearly destitute of fish that fishing will become a 
lost art. In the Rocky Mountains the overfishing 
abuse is particularly vicious and destructive because 
in those cold streams the fish mature slowly, their 
food is very scarce and dear, and the fish are so hungry 
that they are easily caught. It is an easy matter to 
completely fish out a mountain stream in the Rocky 
Mountain region or in the Pacific States. In the State 
of Wyoming some very aggravated cases of wanton 
fish destruction by indifferent rod and line fishermen 
have lately been brought to my attention." 

Dr. Hornaday is an Angler, and his views and 
practices are endorsed by all Anglers. His great book 
on wild life conservation is brimful of practical detail 
and should be in the library of all who are interested in 
the preservation of our fishes, birds, and quadruped 
game. Here is a sample of the Doctor's vigorous style 
in his admirable campaign against the exterminator: 
*'A few years ago, certain interests in Pennsylvania 
rafsed a great public outcry against the alleged awful 
destruction of fish in the streams of Pennsylvania by 
herons. ... A little later on, however, the game 
commissioners found that the herons remaining in 
Pennsylvania were far too few to constitute a pest to 
fish life, and furthermore, the millinery interests 



40 THe Determined Angler 

appeared to be behind the movement. Under the 
new law the milHners were enabled to reopen in Penn- 
sylvania the sale of aigrettes, because those feathers 
came from members of the unprotected Heron Family ! 
It required a tremendous State campaign to restore 
protection to the herons and bar out the aigrettes; 
but it was accopiplished in 191 2. Hereafter, let no 
man for one moment be deceived by the claim that 
the very few-and-far-between herons, bitterns, and 
kingfishers that now remain in the United States, 
anywhere, are such a menace to fish life that those 
birds are a pest and deserve to be shot. The inland 
streams of the United States and Canada lack fishes 
because they have been outrageously overfished, — 
wastefully, wickedly depleted, without sense or reason, 
by men who scorn the idea of conservation. In 
Orleans County, New York, a case was reported to 
me of a farmer who dynamited the waters of his own 
creek, in spawning time!" 

The Angler angles according to his own humanely 
conservative law. The greedy fisherman fishes accord- 
ing to court or so-called legal law, good or bad, and he 
always breaks the Angler's law and very often the 
court's law. 

In viewing Dr. Hornaday's Spokane photograph 
note the bait-casting reel on the fiy-casting rod — the 
rig of a clumsy as well as greedy fisherman. The mess 
of trout shown is one that no Angler would ever make 
and one that any gentleman would be ashamed of — 
"three times too many fish for one rod," as Dr. 
Hornaday says, "another line of extermination 
according to law." Of course, the Doctor means the 
fisherman's law or the court's law, not the Angler's 
law. 



CHAPTER VII 



FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT 



" The variety of rivers require different ways of angling." — 
IzAAK Walton, The Compleat Angler. 

The art of catching fish with artificial lures in imi- 
tation of natural insects is the most chivalric of all 
methods of angling. 

Fish, particularly trout, often hook themselves 
when they seize the fly of a fisherman using a pliant 
rod that will yield and spring freely. As the game 
strikes, the Angler strikes, hooking the fish swiftly 
but delicately by a simple turn of the wrist. The 
trout is not flaunted up in the air by force, as some 
coarse perch fishermen lift their catch. The trout 
fisher does not use his arm at all in hooking a trout 
beyond aiding the hand in holding the rod for the 
wrist to do the work. A practiced troutman can secure 
his fish by moving his hand five inches — a little back- 
ward nervous twist of the wrist. 

Trout often snap a fly and spit it out so quickly 
that the tyro does not have a chance to strike and hook 
the prize. At other times they take hold more slowly, 
and afford the beginner more opportunity to hook 
them, and, as I have said, they very often hook 
themselves. 

The beginner will have some trouble in overcoming 
41 



42 THe Determined Angler 

the excitement or "trout fever" that always accom- 
panies the trout's rise and strike, but experience will 
gradually make him more calm and active at this 
important moment. The tyro trout fisher is often 
more frightened at the rise of the trout than he would 
be at the flush of a noisy grouse or the springing of a 
surprised deer. 

When you have hooked the fish, always handle 
him as if he were but lightly secured. Do not attempt 
to lift him out or yank him up to you. Keep the line 
gently taut, and softly lead the prize out of rough 
water or away from stones, grasses, logs, or tree 
branches. Do not let him come to the surface until he 
is pretty well exhausted and you are about to put him 
in the landing-net. If he is a large fish, tow him ashore 
if the water edge will permit. Where there are over- 
hanging banks this cannot be done. Do not be in a 
hurry to get him out of the water. Be calm and work 
carefully. 

If the fish is large enough to overcome the reel 
click and run off the line, let him do so, but check him 
and guide him according to any obstruction there 
may be. 

When he has rushed here and there for some little 
time with his mouth open and with a constant check — 
the line should always be taut — he will become tired, 
and when he is tired he will not rush. Then softly 
reel him in, being careful not to let him come in con- 
tact with a stone or weed, which is sure to arouse him 
again. Reel him up quickly, without making a 
splashing swoop, and he will soon grace your creel. 

Several persons have expressed an objection to a 
list of flies I once named, saying a good Angler might 
kill just as many trout on quarter the number. 



riy-FisKing for Troxit 43 

Any Angler can take even less than one quarter of 
the enumerated list and catch fully as many brook 
trout as one who might use all of the flies mentioned — 
if he can pick out the ones the trout are rising to with- 
out trying them all until he discovers the killing ones. 
A chef might please his master with one or two of the 
forty courses billed, if he knew what the man wanted. 

Sometimes an Angler can judge the appropriate fly 
to use by observing nature in seeing trout rise to the 
live fly; but, there are times when trout are not rising, 
times when they are tired of the fly upon the water, and 
times when the real fly is not on the wing. Then the 
Angler is expected to take matters in his own hands 
and whip about quietly until he discovers the proper 
patterns. It is better to try for the right flies with a 
list of twenty-nine than whip over a list of a thousand 
or more. I have learned from experience that trout, 
like human beings, are in love with a variety of foods 
at different times. Their tastes change with the 
months, the weeks, the days, the hours, and, under 
certain conditions which I will presently explain, the 
minutes. 

"... fish will not bite constantly, nor every day. 
They have peculiar, unexplainable moods that con- 
tinuing favoring conditions of water, wind, and 
weather cannot control" (Eugene McCarthy, Fa- 
miliar Fish). 

When I mention twenty-nine different patterns as 
being seasonable at a stated period, I do not mean to 
say that the trout will rise to them all and at any time 
and under all conditions. In the first place, the person 
using them might be a tyro unfamiliar with the gentle 
art, the streams might be dried up, there might be an 
earthquake, the flies might be too large, too coarse, 



44 THe Determined Angler 

and for that matter a thousand other conditions might 
interfere. I fish dozens of streams in different locaHties 
several times every month during the legal season, and 
I have been a fond Angler — if not a skillful one — ■ 
since my tenth birthday. Experience on the streams, 
a true love for nature, and a careful attention to my 
notebook enable me to separate the artificial flies into 
monthly lists. No man can class them into weekly or 
daily lots. 

** When a fly is said to be in season it does not follow- 
that it is abroad on every day of its existence" 
(Alfred Ronalds). 

The Eastern gentleman who said if he could have 
but one fly he would take a yellow one, is probably a 
good Angler, for a yellow fly is a fair choice. If I 
could have but one fly I should take a — ah ! I cannot 
name its color; 'tis the quaker, a cream, buff, grayish, 
honey-yellow shade. 

Beaverkill, Seth Green, Ashey Montreal, Dun, 
Wickham's Fancy, August Brown are killing patterns 
in the Pennsylvania streams. 

Trout change in their tastes by the month, week, 
day, hour, and minute. There are flies among the 
list given for this or that month that they will not rise 
to to-day or perhaps to-morrow, but surely there are 
some among the list that will please them, and you 
have to discover those particular flies, and so, as I 
have said before, 'tis better to search among twenty- 
nine than twenty-nine hundred. 

In July of a certain season I waded a stream in 
Pennsylvania and had these flies with me: Quaker, 
Oak, Codun, Reuben Wood, White Miller, Yellow 
Sallie, Hare's Ear, Iron Dun, Brown Palmer, Cahill, 
and a few others. The first day I killed eighteen trout 



riy-FisHing for Tro-ut 45 

in fishing fifty yards in a small stream running partly 
through a large open field and partly through bushes, 
fishing from the left bank. Twelve were taken on a 
brown palmer, four on a dark-gray midge, and two on 
a tiny yellow-gold-brown fly. I fished three hours, in 
which time I received exactly two hundred and fifteen 
strikes; eighteen, as I have said, proved kilHng. I 
fished stealthily up anddown the stream, hiding here 
and there and making the most difficult of casts at all 
times. I went up and down the little stream a half 
dozen times, never going into the wood, but merely 
fishing from where the stream came out of the wood 
to where it hid itself again beyond the field. Part of 
the water I fished, as I say, was in underbush, but I 
did not leave the field. 

Now I am going to show you how the tastes of trout 
varied by minutes, in two instances at least, and I 
desire you to know every little detail. To well con- 
vince you that the casts I made were difficult, I will 
say that my line became fastened in twigs, leaves, and 
bushes every other toss. I had to put the fiies through 
little openings no larger than the creel head and take 
chances of getting the leader caught while on the way, 
and after it was there and on its return. I sometimes 
whipped twenty times at a little pool before I reached 
it. There were logs, branches, mosses, cresses, leaves, 
and grasses to avoid. The water in parts was swift 
and still, narrow, shallow, and deep, sometimes be- 
ing four feet wide and three feet deep, and then ten 
feet wide and three inches deep ; sometimes running 
smartly over bright grasses or pebbles and light in 
color, and in other places lying dark and still in pools 
made by logs and deep holes. 

A tyro would have fished the ground in ten minutes 



46 THe Determined Angler 

and caught nothing; some Anglers would have gone 
over it once in twenty-five minutes and taken a half- 
dozen fish. I had the day to myself; I had nowhere 
else to go; I was out for sport, recreation, and study, — 
not fish, for I am a lover of nature in general, — and so 
I took three hours at the play, and fished and observed 
inch by inch like a mink, the king of trouters. 

I say I had two hundred and fifteen strikes, out of 
which I killed eighteen trout, and you are surprised. 
You think you could have done better, much better, 
but I know you could not — you could not have done as 
well as I did and I wish that I could put you to a test. 
I have seen a fontinalis rise to a small coachman 
twenty-six times, snapping apparently at the feather 
each time, but never allowing himself to be hooked 
nor hooking himself. He was playing. He was a 
young trout, but an educated one, and well knew 
there was no danger if he kept his wits about him. 
I have witnesses to this performance who will sub- 
stantiate my story, and I can easily further prove the 
truthfulness of the statement by taking you to a 
stream where a similar performance may be enacted. 
And I have seen an uneducated trout rise and snap at a 
fly without taking it. The first one rose in play, this 
one in curiosity — and there are trout that will rise in 
anger. All of them may know the bait is not food. It 
is a mistake to think that all brook trout will spurt 
from a fly the very second they discover it is not real 
food, as it is an error to believe that all brook trout 
will take the fly when they know it is the living thing. 
All trout are not alike; they vary in their tastes and 
antics as they do in color and size. Mind you, I speak 
only of one species here — the true brook trout. Salve- 
linus fontinalis, and thus the material should be in- 



riy-FisKin^ for Trovit 47 

teresting. The day I took my creel of eighteen was a 
fair one; we had rain the day before; the water was 
clear and the stream was in ordinary condition. The 
brown hackle which killed twelve of the eighteen was 
on a No. 8 hook; the other two flies were tied on No. 
16, as the hackle should have been, for the fish were 
small and the stream was in a small-fly condition and 
quite right for the daintiest leaders and the finest 
midges. But the hackle seemed to please the trout; 
all sizes appeared to jump at it. I hooked many that 
were not over three inches long! Several times when 
taking my flies from the water for a new cast, I lifted 
a poor little trout up in the air back of me, like the 
scurvy fisherman who makes a practice of landing all 
his fish by yanking them out. So you see it pays to be 
patient on the stream and try all sorts of gentle tricks 
with fontinalis. You must not hurry ; you must not 
be coarse; you must not be careless and untidy with 
your fly-book. Take your time, fish slowly, surely, 
and delicately. Be not weary of the play: banish the 
thought of discouragement, keep at the sport for sport 
alone, and study as you angle. 

A little trout will rise to a fly he has missed one or 
more times; a large trout will seldom do so. When 
you miss a big trout do not give him back the fly for 
ten minutes, and then if you miss him again, change 
the pattern, wait a little while, and he is once more 
ready for the rise — if the new fly suits him. 

r never raised a trout on the scarlet ibis fly. I 
believe it is a poor color on the well-fished waters, just 
as I beheve that all flies are killing on wild streams. 
New trout will take old flies ; old trout love new ones 
and many old ones. Personally I like the sober colors 
in flies for all seasons on all water, though I well 



48 THe Determined Angler 

appreciate the old rule: "When the day is bright 
and where the water is clear, small flies and plain 
colors; in deep and dull waters and on dark days and 
in the evening the brighter and larger ones." Trout 
do not in all cases show their liking to flies in accord- 
ance with any condition of weather or water, though as 
a rule it is advisable to use lighter colors when the day 
and water are dull, which is not saying, however, that 
fish will not rise to loud flies on bright days or sober 
flies in dull weather, for the tastes of trout vary Hke 
the tastes of other living things, and nothing can 
equal them in erraticness when fly-feeding. 

You must give Jontinalis sport, for he very often 
strikes for play more than food, and, like every other 
living thing, loves a choice of variety. 

There is an old story that if the Angler's book has a 
pattern of fly in exact imitation of the real fly upon the 
trout water, he has but to join it as the stretcher to 
fill his creel. Ogden tells us in so many words : "Give 
not the trout an exact imitation of the real fly upon 
the water, for your artificial fly will then be one in a 
thousand. Something startling will please them 
better — loud gold body, strange-colored wings — and 
an odd fellow may take it for sport if nothing else." 

While this is a good bit of advice, it does not seem 
right to me to send it forth in such a sweeping manner. 
The question of whether we should imitate nature in 
general fly building has long been in vogue. Some 
say we should do so, and others that it does not matter. 
Both are correct — there are times when we should 
copy the living flies, and times when we should use 
those artificial things that have no resemblance to 
nature's insects. I have come upon a water where 
the trout were rising to the small dusky miller, and 



riy-FisHing for Tro\it 49 

have, by putting on the artificial fly of this order, 
taken a dozen beauties in good play. It was because 
I arrived just in time ; the trout were not tired of their 
course. Perhaps twenty minutes later they would 
not have done more than eyed my cast. In that case, 
even if the water were covered with a species of the 
real fly, it would have been better to have offered 
something different. Copy nature if the fish be de- 
vouring — not alone because the fly is on the water; 
they may be tired of it. Sometimes there are flies being 
taken that are not seen by the Angler, for trout can 
snap a fly upon the wing. Fly-fishing is not an easy 
pursuit; 'tis a real science. Rules are good, but we 
must not fail to suit the rules to conditions. 

No; you are not supposed to use the entire list, for 
to-day the trout may not favor over two or three of 
them ; to-morrow he may take six of them — all differ- 
ent from those he may show a liking for to-day. It is 
all very well for an Angler to take but three dozen 
coachmen and brown and gray hackle for the Western 
trout, or any trout that is not educated up to the 
standard of the trout that is fished for incessantly, 
but I should not like to make a month's trouting trip 
and take along only three kinds of fiies, even if I had 
dozens of each of the three and if my favorite quaker 
were one of the trio, no matter where the stream — 
East, West, North, or South. 

Some days after my catch of eighteen I visited the 
field again and fished from the point where the stream 
entered the wood down to a beautiful little waterfall. 
I took twenty-one of fair size — one on a yellow Sallie, 
one on an oak fly, four on an Esquimaux dun, five on a 
hare's ear, and nine on the quaker. This day I had 
ninety-three rises — not as many as on the day I took 
4 



50 XKe Determined Angler 

the eighteen and had two hundred and fifteen rises. 
The day was dark, the water very clear and shallow, 
and there had been no rain for ten days. 

This was the occasion of learning more about strik- 
ing the Eastern brook trout than I had ever before 
enjoyed. The old rule is to strike on the second of the 
rise, and, while I do not think this electric quickness 
should be practiced in all cases and under all condi- 
tions, I found it was the rule this day, especially in the 
one deep pool I found. In other places — one in partic- 
ular, where I saw six of my catch make every move in 
taking the flies — I found it necessary to depart from 
the old rule and strike not upon the second of the rise. 
I very often gave wrist too quickly. It all goes to 
prove that rules are not to be exercised at all times and 
under all conditions. We must make allowances. 
I came upon one quiet piece of water that was as 
clear and still as glass; I could see every detail of the 
pebbles at the bottom. Eight pretty trout were in 
this bed of silent water, resting without a perceptible 
movement — not even that delicate wave of the tail 
so common with the trout in his balancing in running 
water. They did not see me; a bush hid my form. 
When my slender rod-tip moved over the water and 
the leader with the flies went down gently upon the 
surface, the trout thought (all animals think) the wind 
had stirred the frail branch of an adjacent tree and 
swept into the water upon a cobweb three insects for 
their feeding. Four rushed for the deceit and two 
were hooked quietly and quickly. I landed them and 
went away to return to the same spot a half -hour later. 
Seven trout were there this time. I flailed gently 
over them, but received no rushing rise; one little 
fellow came up deliberately, broke water two inches 



riy-FisHing for TTroxjit 51 

behind the little dun, and then returned to his old 
position. Then two others did precisely the same as 
their companion had done, excepting one that chose 
the oak fly for his inspection. Then they sank them- 
selves, and a fourth gamester spurted up to the dun 
and took it in his mouth much as a sunfish would suck 
in a bit of worm. I struck him, and he made a splash 
that nearly drove a near-by-perched catbird into 
hysterics, and sent the other trout up, down, and 
across the stream like so many black streaks of light- 
ning. Now, had I cast at these fish from above or below 
and not just over them, where I saw every move they 
made, I should have given them wrist on the second 
of their rise — as I did in the case of the first two that 
made the first rush — and lost any chance of success. 

No, I say, we must not always follow rules regardless 
of conditions. We must not judge all trout alike, 
even if they be of one species. Men, though of one 
race, are not all alike in their habits any more than 
they are in their sizes and colors. 

I found in some parts of the stream that as long as 
I changed the flies I had rises ; in other parts no trout 
took the fly, no matter how I worked it. Perhaps 
there were no fish hereabout; perhaps they saw me; 
perhaps they were not hungry, and perhaps there 
were hundreds and thousands of other reasons why 
they were not to be taken in these certain places. 

No man can strictly follow rules in all cases and 
take trout upon every occasion of his trials. Condi- 
tions govern, and must be studied — conditions, 
conditions. 



CHAPTER VIII 

THE angler's prayer — SAVE THE WOODS AND WATERS 

" Perpetual devotion to what a man calls his business is only 
to be sustained by perpetual neglect of other things. And it is 
not by any means certain that a man's business is the most im- 
portant thing he has to do." 

Robert Louis Stevenson. 

Commerce or civilization or whatever you like to 
call modern man's accumulation of money wealth at 
the sacrifice of nature is perpetrated with no greater 
force tha'n in the wanton waste of our forests — the 
trees given by God to the people and stolen from the 
people by individuals. It seems all right for man to 
prudently use our forests in the making of homes and 
other practical things of actual necessity, but it is a 
downright shame that the people allow greedy men to 
destroy the trees for the mere sake of adding dollars 
to the destroyers' already well-filled purses. And 
these selfish men even deprive the people of their 
breathing-air, drinking-water, and fish food. Springs, 
ponds, and brooks are dried up by the loss of sheltering 
foliage. Lakes and rivers are ruined by the commer- 
cial gentry's waste acid, dye, oil, gas, etc., and the 
very air we breathe is poisoned by the fumes of the 
money-makers' chimneys. 

The railroads cut down the people's trees to make 
ties, and they burn the old ties instead of consuming 

52 



Save tHe Woods and Waters 53 

them for steam power or giving them back to the 
people for fuel or fence posts, etc. The mill owner 
burns as rubbish the sawdust and slabs instead of 
burying the sawdust and allowing it to turn into 
loam that would enrich the soil and thereby propagate 
vegetable food matter and the very tree life the mill- 
man wastes. He is not only destroying the material 
on hand but he is doing his best to prevent the growth 
of future material. Slabs should not be burned as 
waste matter; they are good fuel and good material 
for the farmer, et at. 

Nothing should be burned as waste matter; nature 
tells us to bury, not burn. Fire destroys not alone the 
valuable ingredient it consumes to make itself, but 
burns up the earth's vital moisture — the life-giving 
oxygen we breathe, without which no animate thing 
could survive. 

Before fresh timber is cut for market-cornering 
purposes, the millmen should be compelled to use up 
the vast rafts of trees they have allowed to float upon 
river banks, there to rot while the choppers continue 
their attack on new trees, half of which will go to 
waste with the lumberman's already-decaying market- 
cornering mess in the flooded valley. 

Anyone may personally witness this wanton waste 
if so inclined: Take a ride on the railroad between 
Portland, Oregon, and Tacbma, Washington, and note 
the conditions en route; or glance out of the car window 
as you ride through the timberland district in the 
Southern states — Alabama, Georgia, etc. 

Oregon and Washington are bragging about what 
the native biped conceitedly calls enterprise, western 
spirit, progress, prosperity, etc. Poor fools! They 
imagine the so-called prosperity is due to the enter- 



54 TKe Determined Angler 

prise or spirit of themselves, while any nature student 
could tell them that the business success of any terri- 
tory is directly due to that territory's material that is 
marketed, and that as soon as the marketable material 
is used up the so-called enterprise, energy, spirit, etc., 
of the ego-marketman go up with it. 

In Michigan (Bay City) thirty-five years ago the 
wasters used to boast that Bay City was going to out- 
rival New York City in size, intellect, money wealth, 
social standing, etc., in a few years. All this on a 
little timber they were cutting and selling. It was 
remarked by a nature student that the success of their 
ambition depended upon the pine trees they were 
gradually consuming — ruthlessly cutting down to 
extermination — and a practical man suggested that 
they plant and propagate as well as cut and consume. 
Also it was hinted that the lumber they made out of 
the trees was the only thing they had to make possible 
the social downfall of New York. 

"Oh, by no means," they said; "we have enterprise 
and spirit; that's what counts." 

But, 'the count was a failure — the trees giving out. 
Northern Michigan was turned into a sugar-beet farm, 
and most of the unfortunates who counted on making 
Bay City outrival New York are now of the very dust 
that nurtures the present-day material that their off- 
spring exists upon. 

The Michigan enterprise, spirit, etc., is now trans- 
ferred to the few other timberland States, and the 
natives of to-day, the early day of plenty, are just like 
the old conceited Michiganders — they foolishly ima- 
gine the financial success of their territory is due to 
so-called personal energy, pride, enterprise, progress, 
etc., on' the part of themselves, when any naturalist 



I 



Save tKe "Woods and Waters 55 

knows that their prosperity is directly due to God's 
bountifulness — the abundance of marketable material 
— not man's effort or egotism. 

When Oregon and Washington have lumbered all 
their timber the "enterprising" natives will not have 
rivaled New York socially or financially any more 
than the Michigander has accomplished this end; 
Oregon and Washington, without timber, like Michi- 
gan, will stay just where they are — if lucky enough 
not to go lower down in the social and financial 
standard — ^when their marketable material is ex- 
hausted. 

Climate is a mere matter of pure air. What's the 
good in climate if it's smoked and burned? Any clean 
climate, hot or cold, is better than any soiled climate, 
hot or cold. 

Marketable material, pure air, and pure water are 
the three big concerns of life; man isn't worthy of 
being included in the list of important things because 
he destroys these three mighty essentials. Material 
makes man more than man makes material. 

Man's energy and egotism couldn't get a footing 
without marketable material. What the world needs 
is less of vain man and more plain market stuff. 

Save the woods and waters. 



CHAPTER IX 

TROUT AND TROUTING 

^"A day with not too bright a beam; 
A warm, but not a scorching, sun." 

—Charles Cotton. 

Where can I enjoy trout fishing amid good scenery 
and good cheer without its necessitating a lengthy 
absence from the city? That is a question which 
frequently rises in the mind of the toilers in the busy 
centers of the East, and it is one becoming daily more 
difficult to answer. Yet there are still nearby trout 
streams where a creel of from fifteen to fifty, or even 
more, in favorable weather, might be made. One 
such locality, which for years local sportsmen have 
proven, lies within a four hours' ride of either Phila- 
delphia or New York. All that is necessary is to take 
the railroad, which conveys you to Cresco, in Monroe 
County, Pa., and a ride or drive of five miles through 
the Pocono Mountains will land you in the little 
village of Canadensis, in the valley of the Brodhead ; 
and within the radius of a few miles on either side 
fully a dozen other unposted streams ripple along in 
their natural state, not boarded, bridged, dammed, or 
fenced by the hand of man, thanks to the naturally 
uncultivatable condition of the greater part of this 
paradise for trout fishers. The villagers of Canadensis 

56 



Xrovit and Tro-uting 57 

do'their trading and receive their mail at Cresco, and 
it is an easy matter to obtain excellent food and lodg- 
ings for a dollar a day at one of the many farmhouses 
dotting here and there the valleys, and a seat when 
needful in one of the several private conveyances 
running every day between the two villages. 

The open season for trout in Pennsylvania is from 
April 15th until July 15th, and there appears to be no 
particularly favored period during these three months, 
for the trout here afford sport equally well at all 
times, though they greatly vary in their tastes for the 
fly. 

If the angler goes there in the early part of the 
open season, when the weather is cold, he should 
engage a room and take his meals at the farmhouse 
selected; but if the trip is made in the early part of 
June or any time after that, during the open season, 
camp life may be enjoyed with great comfort. 

Two favorite waters within walking distance from 
any of the farmhouses in Canadensis are Stony Run 
and the Buckhill. The great Brodhead, a famous old 
water in the days of Thaddeus Norris, and noted then 
and now for its big trout, flows in the valley proper, 
within a stone's throw of the farmhouse at which I 
engaged quarters. Spruce Cabin Run, a mile distant, 
is a charming stream, but the trout here are not very 
large beyond the deep pools at the foot of Spruce Falls 
and in the water flowing through Turner's fields and 
woods above the falls. 

Any of these streams will afford plenty of sport, 
but if one wishes to visit a still more wild, romantic, 
and beautiful trout water, he has only to walk a little 
farther or take a buckboard wagon and ride to the 
mighty Bushkill, a stream that must not be confounded 



58 TKe Determined Angler 

with the Buckhill, which lies in an opposite direction 
from Canadensis. 

The Bushkill is the wildest stream in the region, and 
is fished less than any of the others named, one reason 
being that there are plenty of trout in the waters of 
Canadensis which can be fished without the Angler 
going so far. For those who like to camp, the Bush- 
kill is the proper locaHty. I spent a day there with 
friends one season, and we caught in less than two 
hours, in the liveliest possible manner, all the trout 
five of us could eat throughout the day, and four 
dozen extra large ones which we took home to send 
to friends in the city. 

"The trout in the Bushkill," remarked one of my 
companions, "are so wild that they're tame" — an 
expression based upon the greediness and utter dis- 
regard of the enemy with which fontinalis, in his 
unfamiliarity with man, took the fly. I remember 
having a number of rises within two feet of my legs 
as I was taking in my line for a front toss. 

I know men who have many times traveled a thou- 
sand miles from New York on an angling trip to 
different famous waters who have not found either 
the sport or the scenery to be enjoyed on the Bushkill. 

The lower Brodhead below the point at which this 
stream and Spruce Cabin Run come together is very 
beautiful. It is owned by a farmer who lives on its 
banks, and who has never been known to refuse 
Anglers permission to fish there when thej'' asked for 
the privilege. 

There are four natural features in the scenery about 
Canadensis that are especially prized by the country- 
men there — the Sand Spring, Buckhill Falls, Spruce 
Cabin Falls, and the Bushkill Falls. 



Trovit and Troxitin^ 59 

The Sand Spring is so called because grains of 
brilliant sand spring up with the water. This sand 
resembles a mixture of gold and silver dust ; it forms in 
little clouds just under the water's bubble and then 
settles down to form and rise again and again. This 
effect, with the rich colors of wild pink roses, tiny- 
yellow watercups, blue lilies, and three shades of 
green in the cresses and deer tongue that grow all 
about, produces a pretty picture. The spring is not 
over a foot in diameter, but the sand edges and the 
pool cover several feet. In drinking the water, 
strange to say, one does not take any sand with it. 

Being located at one side of the old road between 
Cresco and Canadensis every visitor has an oppor- 
tunity of seeing it without going more than a few feet 
out of his direct way. Some of the stories told about 
the old Sand Spring are worth hearing, and no one can 
tell them better or with more special pleasure than the 
farmers living thereabout. One man affirms that 
** more 'an a hundred b'ar and as many deer have been 
killed while drinking the crystal water of the spring.'* 

Each of the falls is a picture of true wild scenery. 
Though some miles apart they may be here described 
in the same paragraph. 

Great trees have fallen over the water from the 
banks and lodged on huge projecting moss-covered 
rocks; they are additional obstacles to the rushing, 
roaring, down-pouring water, which flows through and 
over them like melted silver. This against the dark 
background of the mountain woods, the blue and snow- 
white of the heavens, the green of the rhododendron- 
lined banks, and the streams' bottoms of all-colored 
stones creates a series of charming and ever-varying 
views. 



6o THe Determined Angler 

A half dozen trout, weighing from one to two pounds 
and a half, may always be seen about the huge rock 
at the point where the lower Brodhead and the Spruce 
Cabin Run come together, and hundreds may be seen 
in the stream below the Buckhill Falls. I do not know 
that fish may be actually seen in any other parts of 
the waters of Canadensis, but at these points the 
water is calm and the bottom smooth, and the speci- 
mens are plainly in view. 

Do not waste time on the "flock" lying about the 
big rock at Brodhead Point. The trout there will 
deceive you. I played with them a half day, and 
before I began work on them I felt certain I would 
have them in my creel in a half-hour's time. They are 
a pack of pampered idlers who do not have to move a 
fin to feed. All the trout food comes rushing down 
both streams from behind these big rocks into the 
silent water and floats right up to the very noses of 
these gentlemen of leisure. If you have any practicing 
to do with the rod and fly do it here. These trout are 
very obliging; they will lie there all day and enjoy 
your casting all sorts of things at them. This is a good 
place to prove to yourself whether you are a patient 
fisherman or not. 

And now a few words about the proper tackle for 
mountain streams. Most anglers use rods that are 
too heavy and too long. During my first visit I used 
a rod of eight feet, four ounces, and I soon found that, 
while it was a nice weight, it was too long for real 
convenience, although there were rods used there 
nine and ten feet long. My rod was the lightest and 
one of the shortest ever seen in the valley. There are 
only a few open spots where long casts are necessary, 
and a long, ordinary-weight trout rod is of very little 



Xrout and Xro\jting 6i 

service compared with one of seven, seven and a half, 
or eight feet, four or three ounces, that can be handled 
well along the narrow, bush-lined, tree-branch-covered 
streams. 

The greater part of the fishing is done by sneaking 
along under cover of the rocks, logs, bushes, and the 
low-hanging branches, as casts are made in every little 
pool and eddy. I use a lancewood rod, but of course 
the higher-priced popular split bamboo is just as good. 
I shall not claim my rod's material is the better of the 
two, as some men do when speaking of their tackle, 
but I am quite sure I shall never say the split bamboo 
is more than its equal. I do not advise as to the 
material; I speak only of the weight and length. Let 
every man use his choice, but I seriously advise him to 
avoid the cheap-priced split bamboo rod. 

If split bamboo is the choice, let it be the work of a 
practical rod-maker. Any ordinary wood rod is 
better than the four-dollar split bamboo affair. 

The leader should be of single gut, but the length 
should be a trifle more than is commonly used. 
Twelve feet is my favorite amount. The reel should 
be the lightest common click reel; the creel, a willow 
one that sells for a dollar in the stores ; and the flies — 
here's the rub — must be the smallest and finest in the 
market. Large, cheap, coarse flies will never do for 
Eastern waters, and you must not fail to secure your 
list of the proper kind, as well as all your outfit, before 
you start on your trip. The only decent thing on 
sale in the village stores is tobacco. 

When you buy your flies buy lots of them, for, be 
you a tyro or practical Angler, you will lose them 
easier on these streams than you imagine. Yes, you 
must be very careful about the selection of your flies. 



62 TKe Determined A.ngler 

They must be small and finely made, high-priced goods. 
I wish I might tell you who to have make them, but I 
dare not, lest I be charged with advertising a particu- 
lar house. Regarding the patterns to use, I will say 
that none are more killing than the general list, if 
they are the best made and used according to the old 
rule all are familiar with — dark colors on cold days and 
bright ones on warm days. The later the season the 
louder the fly — that is, when the season closes during 
hot weather, as it does in Canadensis. My favorite 
time here is from June 15th to July 15th, the closing 
day, but any time after the first two weeks of the open 
season is very charming. I avoid the first week or 
two because the weather is then cold and the trout are 
more fond of natural bait than the artificial fiy. Men 
take hundreds of fish early in the season with worms 
and minnows. 

I never wear rubber boots to wade in. An old pair 
of heavy-soled shoes with spikes in their bottoms, and 
small slits cut in the sides to let the water in and out, 
and a pair of heavy woolen socks comprise my wading 
footwear. The slits must not be large enough to let in 
coarse sand and pebbles, but I find it absolutely 
necessary to have a slight opening, for if there be no 
means for the water to run freely in and out, the shoes 
fill from the tops and become heavy. Rubber boots 
are too hot for my feet and legs, while the water is 
never too cold. I have often had wet feet all day, and 
have never yet experienced any ill effects from it. 

I never use a staff in wading, but I should, for here 
in some places it is very hard to wade. I have often 
fallen down in water up to my waist, overbalanced by 
the heavy current, where the bottoms were rough, 
with sharp, slimy stones. If you carry a staff, follow 






Tro\at and Tro\iting 63 

the custom of the old Anglers and tie it to your body 
with a string to keep it out of the way and allow your 
hands to be as free as possible for a strike. Your 
landing-net should be a small one, minus any metal, 
with a foot and a half handle, and a string tied to a 
front button on your garment should allow it to be 
slung over your shoulder onto your back when not in 
use. 

Of course, these little points about the use of differ- 
ent things are all familiar to the Angler with but the 
slightest experience, and will appear to him neither 
instructive nor interesting, but we must, as gentle 
Anglers, give a thought or two to the earnest tyro, 
for we were young once ourselves. 

I always carry two fly-books with me ; one big fellow 
with the general fly stock in, which is kept at the 
farmhouse, and a little one holding two dozen flies 
and a dozen leaders, which I carry on the stream. 
A string tied to this, too, will prevent the unpleasant- 
ness of having it fall in the water and glide away from 
you. I even tie a string to my pipe and knife. The 
outing hat is an important thing to me. Mine is 
always a soft brown or gray felt, and I use it to sit on 
in damp and hard places fifty times a day. 



CHAPTER X 

TROUTING IN CANADENSIS VALLEY 

The Canadensis Valley in Monroe County, Penn- 
sylvania, is a Jontinalis paradise. With my friend 
George Blake I creeled the little heroes by the dozen 
every day for a week. We each could have easily 
caught fifty in an afternoon had we cared to do so, but 
there were other rural pleasures to attend to, and we 
were not dealing in fish, and saw more beauty in just 
enough to eat than in wasteful quantity. Fishermen 
are generally known as exaggerators, and I do not 
deny that they do sometimes resort to an innocent 
little fib when a yarn may amuse many and injure no 
one, but I must say that this region's beauties are too 
numerous to overpraise by all the exaggeration of all 
the fabricators in the world. No word of mouth or 
pen could do justice to nature in these mountains. 
And I need not elaborate on the fish; the truth is 
bold enough. 

Brook trout weighing a quarter of a pound to a 
pound and a half are taken every day by Anglers, who 
more than fill their creels. Two gentlemen took in 
one day sixty-five beauties on the stream known as 
Stony Run, and two Philadelphia Anglers took half 
a hundred the day before above the Buckhill Falls. 
Another great stream in this region is the Bushkill, 
and still another is Brodhead's Creek. The latter 

64 



Trouting in Canadensis Valley 65 

flows past our camp, and is famous for big trout. My 
favorite is Spruce Cabin Stream, above and below the 
beautiful Spruce Cabin Falls. There are big trout in 
this water, especially at the bottom of the falls, and I 
can — if I will — take fifty trout in an afternoon, and 
they'll weigh from a quarter of a pound to one pound 
and a half. I like something besides fish about a 
stream, and this is why I am fond of the Spruce Cabin 
water. 

There are not many Anglers in love with the place. 
Though beautiful, it is very hard to fish. I have to 
creep under great trees that have fallen over the water 
and then wade up to my waist to gain certain points 
in order to get along down the stream. The banks are 
lined with trees and shrubbery, and my line is ever 
getting tangled. One does not need to be a fly-casting 
tournament Angler to fish any of the Canadensis 
waters. Distance in the cast is not required as much 
as accuracy at more than one or two places on each 
stream. The rest of the fishing is done by short, low 
casts, and by creeping under branches and letting the 
[ine float with the ripples into the eddies. Every step 
DT two there are little falls, and in the white, bubbling 
water at their bottom a trout may be taken. Under 
the big fall, and in the still waters above and below, 
bhe big trout hide. 

Artificial files are the popular bait with the gentle 
A.ngler, though all sizes of trout will take worms, and 
the big, educated trout like minnows. Both small, 
medium, and large trout like flies if the flies are the 
right kind. We have had great trouble in getting good 
3ies. I brought four dozen with me, and not over a 
lalf dozen of them are worth the snell tied to them; 
:hey are too clumsy in size, of coarse material, and 
5 



66 THe Determined Angler 

bad in color. The six decent ones are the work of an 
artist. I could give his name, but it might look like 
an advertisement and spoil my story. Trout like 
choice food just as much as human beings favor savory 
dishes. You may stick an oyster shell on a reed, and 
decoy a summer yellowleg, but you can't hook a 
trout on any kind of a fly. They know a thing or two. 

Tyros who angle in a trout country without success 
go home and say there are no trout. They don't think 
about conditions of water and weather; about their 
line lighting in the water before their bait ; about their 
coarse line and poor flies. 

Trout are philosophers, not only the educated ones, 
those which have been hooked and seen others hooked, 
but trout in general. They're born that way. A young 
man came up here the other day with an old cane pole, 
weighing fully three pounds, and a big salt water 
sinker, and he went away saying there were few trout 
in these waters. I think he had a float with him, too, 
but am not sure. 

A word or two about appropriate tackle for moun- 
tain streams, and I'll put up the pen and joint the rod 
again. In the city a few weeks ago I proudly displayed 
a four-ounce, nine-foot lance wood rod, and my 
friends laughed at me, saying it was too frail for any 
service. Now, I find this rod, shortened two feet, 
just the thing for this country where trout run small 
and where there's no long casting. I frequently run 
across good Anglers here with five-ounce rods, and 
have seen two four-ounce rods. There is no use for a 
rod above four ounces in weight and seven feet in 
length. When I come again I shall use a three-ounce 
rod. The reel should be the lightest and smallest 
common click, and the line the finest enameled silk, 



Tro\itin^ in Canadensis Valley 67 

tapered if you like. The flies — here's the main thing 
— should be the best, and of the smallest brook trout 
pattern. Next year, when I make up my supply, I'll 
pack fully two hundred, and they'll be the dearest- 
priced flies, for they are none too good. 

Oh, I must say a word about cooking and eating 
trout before I close. I've tried them in all styles, and 
the best way, I think, is when they're roasted over a 
camp fire on a little crotch stick, one prong in the head 
and the other in the tail. And the worst way, I think, 
is when they're fried in a pan with bad butter or poor 
lard. 

Blake and I are in our glory. Our only displeasure 
is in knowing that our perspiring city friends are not as 
comfortable. The days here are warm and bright — 
not hot and close — and the nights cool and clear, so 
that we live merrily all the time. 

I went a few hundred yards down the stream in 
front of the camp to two great bowlders, one morning, 
and there, during a little sun shower, took a Sahelinus 
fontinalis that weighed just a little over two pounds 
and a quarter. He rose to a pinkish, cream-colored 
fly, with little brown spots on the wings. I forget its 
name, but it's one of the six really good ones I referred 
to. I decided to keep the large captive alive, so I took 
off one of the cords tied about my trousers at the bot- 
toms (I never wear wading boots in warm weather) , 
put it through his gill, and tied the other end to a 
submerged tree-root. Later, Mr. Trout was lodged in 
a small box, with bars tacked over the top, and placed 
under a spout running from an old mill race. He was a 
big specimen — large enough to saddle and ride to town, 
the cook said. And pretty — as pretty as a gathering of 
lilacs and giant ferns decked with wintergreen berries. 



CHAPTER XI 

THE TROUTER's OUTFIT 

The rod for stream fishing should weigh from three 
to six ounces and measure in length from seven to 
nine feet. Split bamboo and lancewood are two of 
the best rod materials. If you cannot afford a good 
split bamboo do not buy a cheap one ; choose a lance- 
wood. 

The line should be a small-sized waterproofed silk 
one. The reel, a small common light rubber click, 
holding twenty-five or thirty-five yards. 

The landing net, used to take the fish from the water 
after being hooked, should be made of cane with linen 
netting, and have no metal about it. The handle 
should be about a foot long. Tie a string to the handle, 
tie the string to a button on your coat under your chin, 
and then toss the net over your back out of the way. 

The creel, or fish basket, should be a willow one 
about the size of a small hand satchel. This should 
have a leather strap, to be slung over the right 
shoulder, allowing the creel to rest on the left hip. 

The hat should be a soft brown or gray felt with two- 
inch brim. This may be used as a cushion to sit down 
upon on rocks or in damp places. 

The footwear may be either rubber boots, leather 
shoes, or rubber wading trousers. If the water is 
warm, wear leather shoes, and have nails put in the 

68 



The Tr outer's 0\itfit 69 

thick soles to keep your feet from slipping in swift 
water and on slimy stones. If you choose rubber boots 
see that they are of the light, thin, thigh-fitting sort 
and not the clumsy affairs with straps attached. 

The fly-book for use on the stream should have room 
for not more than a dozen flies, with pockets for 
leaders, silk cord, small shears, and other tools. A 
larger book for your general stock of flies and leaders 
may be left at your rural lodgings with your tackle 
box and other traps. 

The leader, to which are attached the flies in use, 
should be of the finest quality of single silk gut, and in 
length three feet. Two of these attached make a cast, 
though I prefer a longer cast of leader. 

The coat and general clothing should be of a dead- 
grass, gray, or light brown color. Have plenty of 
pockets, and tie a string to nearly everything you carry 
in them, so you cannot lose them if they fall from your 
hands. 

The flies — every known variety of trout fly, provid- 
ing you order these of the finest make. 

Do not undertake to go trouting stintingly equipped, 
which is not saying that you are to dress and act like 
a circus clown. But you must be properly outfitted. 
Good carpenters make good houses, but their work is 
better and more pleasant if they have good tools. 

The tyro who is not fortunate enough to have the 
friendship of a practical fisherman to whom he may 
apply for advice should read the works on angling and 
ichthyology by Izaak Walton, Henry William Herbert 
("Frank Forester"), Seth Green, Charles Hallock, 
Wm. C. Harris, Thaddeus Norris, Genio C. Scott, 
Frederick Mather, Robert Roosevelt, G. Brown 
Goode, Kit Clarke, Dr. Jas. A. Henshall, Charles 



70 TTHe Determined A.ngler 

Zibeon Southard, Dr. Edward Breck, Emlyn M. Gill, 
George M. L. LaBranche, Louis Rhead, Eugene 
McCarthy, Dr. Henry van Dyke, David Starr Jordan, 
Dr. Evermann, Prof. Baird, Tarlton H. Bean, Richard 
Marston, Frederick E. Pond ("Will Wildwood"), 
Mary Orvis Marbury, A. Nelson Cheney, Charles F. 
Orvis, Dr. Charles Frederick Holder, Perry D. Frazer, 
Emerson Hough, Rowland E. Robinson, Isaac Mc- 
Lellan, Francis Endicotl, Dean Sage, Wm. C. Prime, 
Henry P. Wells, Judge Northrup, John Harrington 
Keene, et al, and make a study of the catalogues of the 
better class of sporting-goods houses. 



! 



CHAPTER XII 

TROUT FLIES, ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL 

"The wide range of difference between the wet fly 
and the dry fly lies in the fact that the wet fly is an 
imitation of no special thing active and living, while 
the dry fly purports to be an imitation of the natural 
fly. It is generally a well-known fact that any of our 
well-known American wet flies can be converted into 
exceptionally good dry flies by giving them an ablu- 
tion of oil." — Robert Page Lincoln, Outdoor Life, 
September, 191 5. 

Then the wet fly resembles the dry fly, and there- 
fore the wet fly is an imitation of the living fly. Of 
course it is. Is not the artificial black gnat imitative 
of the live black gnat? And is not the white miller 
artificial fly patterned after the living white miller 
fly? Certainly. Mary Orvis Marbury, author of 
Favorite Flies, and daughter of Charles F. Orvis, one 
of America's greatest fly-makers, says so. So says 
William C. Harris, Seth Green, Frank Forester, Louis 
Rhead, A. Nelson Cheney, Frederick Mather, Dr. 
Henshall, Charles Hallock, Dean Sage, William C. 
Prime, Charles Z. Southard, Dr. van Dyke, Edward 
Breck, et al. 

All angling writers in discoursing upon artiflcial 
flies use the expressions * * in season, " " seasonable flies,'* 
etc. Now, how could this or that artificial fly be in 

71 



72 TKe Determined Ang'ler 

season if it were not copied from the living fly? Of 
course, there are some artificial flies that are not 
copied from nature, but the artificial fly in general is a 
duplicate of the living thing. "When a fly is said to 
be in season, " says Alfred Ronalds, *'it does not follow- 
that it is abroad on every day of its existence." 
But, our opinions must not be harshly expressed — 
rather set forth "in pleasant discourse," as Walton 
says — for, as Pritt tells us, "one of the charms of 
angling is that it presents an endless field for argument, 
speculation, and experiment." 

After the foregoing excerpt and my comment upon 
it appeared in the New York Press (Sept. ii, 1915), 
I wrote several of the authorities mentioned, asking 
their views on the subject, and following will be found 
their replies. 

Henry van Dyke, author of Little Rivers, Days Off, 
Fisherman'' s Luck, etc. : 

For flies as "wet," or flies as "dry," 

I do not care a whit — not I ! 

The natural fly is dry, no doubt. 

While through the air he flits about; 

But, lighting on the stream, you bet 

He very often gets quite wet. 

This fact is known to all the fish; 

They take their flies just as they wish, 

Upon the surface or below, 

Precisely why we do not know. 

The honest Angler should not be 

A man of rigid theory, 

But use the most alluring fly. 

And sometimes "wet," and sometimes "dry." 

Louis Rhead, author of The Book of Fish and Fishing: 
** After thirty-two years' active fishing for trout, 
beginning with a worm as a bait, I have developed 



Tro\it Flies, Artificial and Natxiral 73 

through various stages to know fish with nothing but 
my own nature flies. I have made careful color pic- 
tures of all the most abundant insects and produced 
flies tied to exactly imitate them. Many insects do 
not and cannot float, yet an imitation can be made 
of them to fish wet. The English dry fly is not of 
necessity a copy of the natural insect. Half or d has 
many fancy dry flies that are not copies of insects. 
Nearly all American commercial trout flies are fancy 
flies, and do not imitate insects. To be exact, in fishing 
with a floating fly it is only right to use copies of in- 
sects that will float, mostly drakes. The average 
Angler has been sadly fooled by this so-called dry-fly 
fishing, and books have been written (mostly culled 
from British sources), making Anglers more bewildered 
than ever." 

Charles Zibeon Southard, author of Trout Fly- 
Fishing in America: **In reply to your question 
about trout flies, *Am I right?' I would say that 
unquestionably you are. From the earliest days of 
trout fly-fishing it has been the intention of Anglers 
to have their flies resemble as far as possible the 
natural ones found upon their trout waters. One has 
only to read dear old Izaak Walton and the many noted 
fly-fishing authorities that have followed to the 
present day to be convinced of your view. Of course 
the art of fly-tying has advanced with mighty strides 
during the past fifteen years and more especially 
during the past ten years, and to the makers of 'dry' 
flies for the wonderful development of the artificial 
fly too much credit, in my judgment, cannot be given. 
That wet flies are not such remarkable imitations of 
the natural flies as are the dry flies goes almost with- 
out saying. As a matter of fact it is not the question 



74 THe Determined Angler 

which fly is the better imitation, but that both the 
wet fly and the dry fly are patterned, in most cases, 
after the natural flies. From the time of Walton and 
before that, wet flies have been patterned after natural 
flies. In many instances nowadays wet flies are not 
designed to represent natural flies, but such flies are 
freaks, are short-lived, and are seldom used by real 
trout fly-fishermen. There is no doubt in my mind 
that taken as a whole wet flies have been intended to 
represent natural flies, but quite often in the past and 
in the present day have not been and are not good 
imitations. As the art of fly-tying has advanced, more 
nearly do the artificial represent the natural flies, and 
this advancement is due, in a great measure, to the 
makers of dry flies. Speaking from a practical stand- 
point, the so-called dry flies are the very best wet flies 
obtainable, and on most American trout waters more 
trout will be caught on them when fished wet than 
when fished dry, especially the fontinalis.'' 

Dr. James A. Henshall, author of The Book of the 
Black Bass: "Regarding the 'Trout Flies' clipping 
sent me for comment I think the mention of my name 
in it is sufficient without adding anything more." 

Dr. Edward Breck, author of The Way of the Woods, 
etc.: "I suppose that I may subscribe to your para- 
graph in answer to Mr. Lincoln. We old chaps all 
know that laying down any hard and fast rules for 
trout is a futile undertaking; there are so many 
exceptions, and les extremes se touchent so very often. 
Many wet flies are certainly not imitations of natural 
flies nor are they meant to be; as, for example, the 
Parmachenee belle, which they say Wells fashioned to 
imitate the belly-fin of a trout, always known to be a 
killing lure. 'Non-university' trout grab anything 



Xroxit Flies, Artificial and Natural 75 

that looks like food, whether it has the appearance of 
an insect or something else. The more educated fish 
of the more southern waters may make finer distinc- 
tions. It is a vast subject, and as many authorities 
may be found for almost any statement as for the 
several pronunciations of the word 'Byzantine.' You 
remember the scoffing English Angler who dyed his 
dry flies blue and red and took a lot of fish with them, 
to the scandal of the purists ! The charm of the whole 
thing is precisely that there are no rules. It is like 
style in writing English. Every man makes his own. 
Whether it is more pleasing in the sight of Saint Izaak 
to wait for a fish to begin feeding before casting over 
him, or for a man to sally forth, and, by dint of 
knowledge and patience and skill, actually make the 
trout rise to his lure, what arrogant mortal shall 
judge?" 

Robert Page Lincoln : " Perhaps I should have said 
some wet flies are an imitation of no special object 
connected with living things. In the list of wet flies 
there are experimentations galore that will serve as 
well as any of the standard regulation flies. I can sit 
down and construct offhand a fly to be used as wet or 
submerged that I feel sure I can use with as much 
success as with the miller, gnat, or any other fly that is 
no doubt much on the order of an imitation of the 
natural. Perhaps in writing the article I was thinking 
too deeply of the eccentric nondescripts that do not 
imitate nature. Yet these nondescripts (flies tied 
anyway to suit the fancy), yet having hackle wings, 
etc., will get the fish; they are drawn in the water 
gently back and forth, thus purporting to be some 
insect drowning; yet I doubt very much if the fish 
can tell what sort of a fly, living fly, it should be. I 



76 THe Determined Angler 

do not care; it is the motion, the apparent endeavor 
of the'fly to get out of that watery prison that airouses 
the fish's blood. However, Halford says: 'The 
modern theory is that these patterns (the wet flies) 
are taken by the fish for the nymphae or pupae — these 
being the scientific names of the immature insects at 
the stage immediately preceding the winged form. . . . 
Candidly, however, the presence of the wings in the 
sunk fly pattern has puzzled me, because in my 
experience I have never seen the winged insects 
submerged by the action of the stream. Sedges do at 
times descend to oviposit and so do certain spinners, 
but the appearance under this condition, with an air 
bubble between their wings, resembles nothing so 
much as a globe of mercury — an appearance which 
bears no resemblance to the ordinary sunk fly pat- 
terns.' I have been strictly a devotee to the wet-fly 
form, and always hold that it is the better fly for our 
swift Western streams ; in the wet form certainly it is 
the better fly two thirds of the time. Still, glassy 
pools, even smooth waters, come few and far between, 
but, where they are, there the dry fly is a valuable 
addition to the Angler's outfit. You might change 
my article (in the paragraph in question) to read 
thus : * The wide range of difference between some wet 
flies and the dry fly lies in the fact that a good number 
of wet flies are an imitation of no special thing active 
and living, while the majority of the dry flies purport 
to be an imitation of natural flies.' This would exclude 
the wet flies that make good dry flies, namely the 
suggested millers, gnats, etc. It would be interesting 
to know the number of captures made with wet flies 
as they fall lightly to water and for a moment ride the 
brim. Captures have been made wherein two thirds 



Troxit Flies, Artificial and Natxjral 77 

of the time the wet fly has lain on the surface but a 
scant moment before it was seized. In my great 
number of articles printed in the universal outdoor 
press I have always suggested that the fly be cast 
easily to water, expecting, first, a rise as it lies on the 
surface; second, failing at this, then the fly submerges 
and is drawn in the water, to assure the opening and 
closing of hackles, thus purporting to imitate the 
drowning, struggling insect. " 

Charles Hallock, author of The Sportsman's Gazetteer y 
The Salmon Fisher, etc.: "I have nothing more to 
say. I hung up my trout rod last summer at Chester- 
field, IVTass., in my eighty-second year. So, my fly- 
book is closed. Let younger Anglers do the talking 
and discuss ad infinitum. Flies are not on my line. 
Good-bye." 

"To frame the little animal 
Let nature guide thee. " 

—Gay. 

TROUT TAKING THE FLY 

''You will observe when casting the wet fly . . . 
that trout seldom rise to the fly when it first strikes 
the water . . . after years of experience I am pre- 
pared to state as my opinion that such a thing does 
not happen once in thirty casts." — Charles Zibeon 
Southard, Trout Fly-Fishing in America. 

This has not been my experience with fontinalis 
in the streams and ponds of Long Island, N. Y., and 
the mountain brooks of Pennsylvania, where many of 
my trout took the fly almost before it touched the 
water. I have seen trout catch large live flies in the 
air a few inches over the surface. I think large trout 
in clear, still ponds easily see the cast fly before it 



78 The Determined Ang'ler £ 

alights. The trout in rapid streams may not be so 
alert, but I have certainly caught many a specimen on 
the fly the instant the lure touched the water. 

Mr. William M. Carey, who is responsible for the 
frontispiece in this volume, is positive trout often 
jump out of the water in taking the fly. I, too, have 
seen trout do so. It is not a regular practice of the 
species, but I easily recall many instances of the trout » 
leaping clear of the surface and taking the fly in the '•^' 
descent. Trout of all sizes will often strike both living 
and artificial flies with their tails, this either in play 
or to disable the insect. A writer in Forest and Stream 
(January 9, 1901) says: "In fishing a trout stream 
in northern Michigan I was using a cast of a Par- 
machenee belle and a brown hackle. I was wading 
downstream, and I came to a place where a tree had 
fallen into the stream, and after several casts I noticed 
some small trout following my flies. I cast again, and 
while my flies were five or six inches from the water a 
trout four or five inches long jumped clear out of the 
water, grabbed my Parmachenee belle and imme- 
diately dove with it in its mouth. I believe the same 
trout did the same thing several times while I was 
fishing there." These were brook trout and they were 
not jumping except when they jumped at my flies." 

The foregoing comments were submitted to Mr. 
Southard, and he writes me: 

"What you say about catching trout in Long Island 
waters and the mountain brooks of Pennsylvania is 
entirely true. During the early spring season I have 
caught, at times, many small trout on such waters in 
precisely the same way, and in addition there have 
been days on many different waters where occasionally 
during the whole of the open season I have caught 



Trcut Flies, Artificial and Natviral 79 

trout when they rose the moment the fly alighted 
upon the water. These experiences of ours alone, 
however, do not establish as a fact nor as a general 
proposition that trout rise to a fly more often when it 
first alights upon the water than after the fly has been 
fished or played by the Angler; nor that my statement 
as a general proposition is not a correct one. 

"The statement was perhaps poorly worded and 
thus misleading, and I should have said that on an 
average trout do not rise to a fly once in thirty casts 
when it first alights upon the water. My opinion was 
based, first, upon trout fly-fishing on all kinds of fish- 
able waters wherever found; second, upon all sizes of 
trout from the minimum of six inches to the maximum 
of thirty inches whether or not they were indigenous 
or planted fish ; third, upon my own experience of over 
twenty-five years as well as the opinion of many 
Anglers and guides with an experience covering a 
longer period than my own-, fourth, upon my knowl- 
edge of the habits and habitats of trout under the many 
varying conditions which govern their lives and actions. 

"Unfortunately most Anglers have given almost no 
thought to studying and analyzing 'the art of fly- 
fishing' to the end that they may become better and 
more successful fishermen and thus enjoy to a greater 
extent the pleasures of the clean, dignified, and de- 
lightful sport of angling. It is not surprising then that 
an Angler upon first thought, even an experienced 
one, might think that trout rise to files when they first 
alight upon the water more often than once in thirty 
casts because he remembers only the rises and his 
successes, but pays very little attention to the lack of 
either. How many Anglers know approximately 
the number of casts they make in an hour? How 



8o THe Determined Angler 

many know the number of rises they have and when ? 
How many know the number of trout that rise and 
strike and are hooked and landed? The answer is 
*Few indeed'; and those who hazard a guess are 
usually far from the facts. 

"The average fly-fishing Angler casts his fly or 
flies, on most waters, from five to seven times a minute 
and the less experienced Angler from seven to ten 
times. With the more experienced Angler this means 
that he casts from 300 to 420 times in an hour and in 
five hours from 1500 to 2100 times. Let us take the 
lesser number as a basis of reasoning; in one hour, if 
once in thirty casts a trout rose, struck, and was 
hooked when the fly first alighted upon the water, 
the Angler's creel would be richer by ten fish and in 
five hours by fifty fish. Then to this number should 
be added the trout that rise, strike, and are hooked 
after the fly has alighted upon the water and has been 
fished or played by the Angler. Would it not be a fair 
proposition to say that at least as many trout would 
be caught under the latter circumstances as the 
former? To my mind it would. The Angler then 
would have creeled one hundred fish in five hours. 
As some trout, even with the most expert of Anglers, 
are bound to be lost let us be liberal and place the 
loss at fifty per cent., thus making the Angler's net 
catch fifty instead of one hundred fish. Think this 
over and think over what your experience has been, 
day after day and season after season, and ask your- 
self if a catch of this size is not very unusual on the 
best of trout fishing waters. So far as my own ex- 
perience goes it certainly is most unusual, and I fish 
on many fine waters each year and for at least one 
hundred days. 



Xroxit Flies, -Artificial and Natxiral 8i 

"There are some places, especially in the State of 
Maine, and notably 'The Meadow Grounds' of 
'The Seven Ponds,' Franklin County, where at 
times large numbers of small trout, running from five 
to seven or eight inches, can be caught in a fishing day 
of five hours and I have known of Anglers catching, 
though not killing, from three hundred to seven hund- 
red trout and most of them rose to the flies when they 
first alighted upon the water. At * Tim Pond,' Maine, 
the only place I know where more trout can be 
caught on the fly than by bait, one hundred to 
two hundred trout have been caught in one day 
on the fly, but in most instances these trout take the 
fly not when it alights upon the water but after it has 
been played. Such occurrences as these, however, 
take place where countless numbers of small trout 
are found in the shallow waters of remarkable and 
wonderful natural breeding and propagating sections. 
Instances of this kind prove nothing because they are 
the great exception and the art of fly-fishing is not 
brought into play, for one fly is as good as another and 
the small boy with his fifty-cent pole can catch just 
as many trout as the man of experience with his 
thirty-dollar rod of split bamboo. Yet in expressing 
my opinion about trout rising to a fly when it first 
alights upon the water I took into consideration just 
such instances as I have cited. 

*"For your own satisfaction and education,' to 
quote from my book, 'when the opportunity offers, 
keep an account of the number of rises you get when 
your fly first strikes the water and the number you 
get after you have begun to fish the fly, and so prove 
for yourself what the real facts are on this subject.' 

"It is unquestionably true that all trout both large 

6 



82 THe Determined Angler 

and small, when in clear, still water that is shallow, 
easily see a cast fly before it alights upon the surface. 

"At times, under certain conditions both on streams 
and lakes, trout will leap into the air and take small 
as well as large flies in the air. But seldom will large 
or very large trout rise above the surface for any kind 
of fly either real or artificial. 

"In order that there may be no misunderstanding I 
would say that I classify the size of trout as follows: 

"Small trout, 8 inches and under. 

"Medium sized trout, 9 to 13 inches. 

"Large trout, 14 to 18 inches. 

"Very large trout, 19 inches and over. 

"Trout found in rapid streams are more alert than 
trout found elsewhere; they in most cases represent 
the perfection of trout life in all its different phases. 
Trout in rapid streams are snappy risers to both the 
real and artificial fly but owing to the current they 
frequently 'fall short' and fail to strike and take the 
fly. Such trout when they do take the fly are the 
easiest to hook because they often hook or help to 
hook themselves owing to the current. 

"Your experience can hardly be said to differ mate- 
rially from my own in the instances you mention, but I 
cannot help thinking that you have failed to take into 
account the many times when you have returned with 
an empty or very nearly empty creel or to consider 
the number of times you have actually cast your fly 
on the days when the creel was full to overflowing. 

"If you have cited your usual experience then I 
heartily congratulate you upon your skill and upon 
your good fortune in knowing such remarkable fishing 
waters wherein there dwells 'the most beautiful fish 
that swims.'" 



Xro-ut Flies, Artificial and Natural 83 

I fully agree with Mr. Southard, and I, too, should 
have worded my comment differently, though I 
didn't declare, fortunately, that most of my trout 
were taken the instant the fly touched the water. 
I used the word "many" in both instances where I 
spoke of the trout taking the fly. I think I should 
have considered more deeply Mr. Southard's line 
"once in thirty casts"; then we'd have understood 
each other. However, no crime has been committed; 
far from it, for look you, reader, what you have 
gained — all this delightful extra practical reading ; and 
remember ye, "one of the charms of angling, " as Pritt 
says, "is that it presents an endless field for argu- 
ment, speculation, and experiment." 



CHAPTER XIII 

THE BROOK TROUT's RIVAL 

When the German brown trout was introduced in 
the brook trout streams of Pennsylvania some years 
ago fly-fishermen condemned the act because they 
believed the brook trout (5. fontinalis) was superior to 
the brown trout as a game fish. Deforestation, render- 
ing the streams too warm for the brook trout, has 
changed the fly-fisherman's feeling in the matter. 
The brown trout can thrive in warm water, and with 
the brook trout's gradual extermination the brown 
trout is being welcomed as the next best thing. A 
correspondent at Reading, Pa., signing himself 
" Mourner" — he mourns the passing of the true brook 
trout — declares the brown trout strikes harder than 
the brook trout and after being hooked, unlike the 
brook trout, makes two or three leaps out of the water, 
but is not so gamey and cunning as the brook trout 
and tires out much quicker. The German species has 
been popular because it attains a larger size quickly 
and destroys almost every fish in the streams, includ- 
ing the brook trout. "The fly-fishermen who for 
years have matched their skill, cunning, artifice, and 
prowess against the genuine brook trout that since 
creation dawned have inhabited the mountain brooks 
that flow down every ravine," says Mourner, "have 
had forced on them, as never before, the sad truth 

84 



The BrooK Trovit's Rival 85 

that, like the deer, bear, quail, woodcock, and grouse, 
brook trout are slowly but surely passing. There 
never was a fish so gamy, elusive, and eccentric, so 
beautiful and so hard to deceive and capture by 
scientific methods as the native brook trout. No 
orator has'yet risen to fully sound its praises ; no poet to 
sing its merits as they deserve ; no painter to produce 
its varied hues. The brook trout was planted in the 
crystal waters by the Creator 'when the morning 
stars sang together ' and foniinalis was undisturbed, 
save as some elk, deer, bear, panther, or wildcat 
forded the shallows of his abode, or some Indian or 
mink needed him for food. In this environment the 
brook trout grew and thrived. Much warfare made 
him shy and suspicious until he became crafty to 
a degree. The brook trout successfully combated 
man's inventive genius in the shape of agile rods, 
artificial flies and other bait calculated to fool the 
most wary, and automatic reels, landing nets, and 
other paraphernalia designed to rob a game fish of ' life, 
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.' But it was not 
until the tanner and acid factory despoiler turned 
poisoned refuse into the streams and the dynamiter 
came upon the scene and the sheltering trees were cut 
away by the lumberman, letting in the sun and warm- 
ing the water to a nauseous tepidity, that the brave 
trout faltered, hesitated, and then quit the uneven 
conquest. Carp and bass were planted in the streams 
to further endanger the brook trout's existence. Next 
the California trout and the German brown trout, who 
prey upon the true brook trout's progeny, followed, 
till finally, beaten, baffled, dismayed, poisoned, 
routed, and overwhelmed by the superior numbers and 
size of a cannibalistic race, he gradually began his 



86 TKe Determined Angler 

retreat. It Is good-bye to the brook trout now. With 
him it was either cool pools, solitude, and freedom, or 
extermination. The waters that pour down into larger 
streams are sad memories now of his school play- 
grounds. No more will the sportsman's honest hunger 
be appeased by the brook trout's fine-grained flesh 
from hardening waters of nearby mountain brooks. 
But memory of the brook trout cannot be wrested 
from those who knew him at his best, and braved 
personal danger from rattler, bear, and wildcat to win 
him from the crystal waters. The brook trout has 
been butchered to make a carp's holiday. Gone he 
may be now, but he will live forever in the dreams of 
all true fishermen as the real aristocrat of the mountain 
streams. The like of him will not soon be seen again." 
The Fish Commission has mastered the science of the 
artificial propagation of the brook trout — millions are 
now produced with little trouble and expense — and 
the stocking of waters is a common practice, but the 
Fish Commission can't propagate forests and wood- 
land streams. Mourner must know that the brook 
trout itself is not hard to save ; it is the preservation of 
its wild habitat that is the great puzzle. If the United 
States Forestry Department will protect the trout 
streams from the greedy lumberman, the factoryman, 
and acid maker, the Fish Commission will have no 
trouble in saving the brook trout. 



I 



CHAPTER XIV 

TROUT ON BARBLESS HOOKS. 

Most women who indulge in fishing are, like chil- 
dren, mere fish takers, not Anglers, but the craft is 
honored by the association of many fine female de- 
votees who study and practice the gentle art in its 
fullest meaning — a devotion to the poetic, artistic, 
healthful, and humane elements in piscatorial pursuits. 
Dame Juliana Berners, who wrote the earliest volume 
on gentle fishing (1500), was the first celebrated exam- 
ple of the artful and merciful woman fisher, and Cleo- 
patra the first female to make notorious the coarse 
and ungodly method in fishing for pastime. Sweet 
Dame Berners believed in angling — the desire of fair 
treatment to the quarry, correct tackle, a love of the 
pursuit superior to greed for number in the catch, and 
a heavenly admiration of the general beauties of nature 
in the day as well as in the play ; and brutal Cleopatra 
believed in mere fishing, the killing of the greatest 
number, regardless of means, mercy, or method. 

Our modern Dame Bernerses and Cleopatras in the 
fishing fold are many. The wife who aids the net 
fisherman — the marine farmer whose calling emulates 
the professional duties of Jesus' disciples, Peter, 
Andrew, James, and John — does not count. Her part 
in fishing, while by no means angling, is as honest as 
the work of the upland farmer's helpmate, and God 

87 



88 TKe Determined Angler 

Himself will not condemn little children, male or 
female, who fish indiscriminately, "because they do 
not know. " Fishing for the modern market is just as 
honorable as market fishing was in the ancient days 
when Jesus praised the net fishermen and made them 
His nearest and dearest friends, and angling — merciful 
ungreedy fishing with humane tackle and a clear 
conscience — is even more righteous than net fishing, 
because, while the main result of the Angler's pursuit 
is the same as the marketman's — fish taking — the 
Angler's method of capture is far less cruel, and his 
creel of fish is far less in number than the boatful of 
the marketman. 

The distinction in angling and fishing is made by 
the modes employed in the taking, the killing, and the 
disposing of the fishes. Any fisherman who uses tackle 
appropriate to the various species, who is not greedy 
in his catch, who plays his game with mercy, who dis- 
patches it with the least suffering, who disposes of it 
without wanton waste, and who is thankful to the 
Maker for the ways and means for all these conditions, 
is an Angler. And cannot woman be as artful and 
gentle in pursuits and as appreciative in feeling as man ? 
Surely. England and Scotland and Ireland are 
famous for their women Anglers, and Maine, the 
Adirondacks, California, and Canada boast of the 
finest female fly-casters in the world. There are more 
women Anglers in these last-named territories than 
there are men Anglers in all other parts of the United 
States. A woman, Mary Orris Marbury, wrote the 
best volume scientifically descriptive of trout, bass, 
and salmon flies of modern times, and Cornelia Crosby, 
a daughter of the Maine wilderness, is the fly-fishing 
enthusiast of America. 



I 



Trout on Darbless HooKs 89 

Great minds, male and female, have gentle hearts. 
Izaak Walton handled a frog as if he loved him. 
Cowper would not unnecessarily hurt a worm. Lin- 
coln upset his White House Cabinet to rescue a mother 
pig from a mire. Webster neglected the Supreme 
Court to replace a baby robin that had fallen from its 
nest. Moses, John the Divine, Washington, Thoreau, 
Audubon, Wilson, and even Napoleon and Caesar the 
mighty mankillers were all of tender hearts, and all 
of these were — Anglers. Christ was only a fisher of 
men, but He loved and associated with the fishers of 
fishes. Walton, the father of fishers and fishing, 
angled for the habits of fishes more than for their 
hides. The capture of a fish was insignificantly inci- 
dental to the main notion of his hours abroad — his 
divine love of the waters, the fields, the meadows, the 
skies, the trees, and God's beautiful things that inhabit 
these. 'Tis the soul we seek to replenish, not the creel. 
So a Long Island dairyman's daughter views the 
theme, and she handles the mother and baby trout as 
if she loved them. Salvelinus fontinalis, little salmon 
of the streams, the Angler's dearly beloved brook 
trout — this is the dairymaid's special delight. She 
breeds these rainbow-hued beauties and broods over 
them, she feeds and fondles them, and they are to 
her what David's holy, fleecy flock were to him — his 
blessed charge by heavenly day and cardinal care at 
night. They feed from her hand, and play like 
kittens with her fingers. Cleopatra cleaved her fishes 
with a murderous hand and hook. Audrey cuddles 
her trout with a magnanimous mind and heart. 

The trout, with all its famous beauty of color, grace, 
and outline, all its army of admirers, all the glory of its 
aqua-fairyland habitat, all its seeming gentility of 



90 TKe Determined Ang'ler 

breeding and character, is none the less a little villain 
at the killing game, like the less admired feline and 
canine and serpentine species, for he will devour the 
daintiest and gaudiest butterfly that ever poet sang of. 
Fledgling robins and bluebirds, orioles and wrens are 
meat and drink to him. Young chipmunks and 
squirrels that lose their balance in the storm fall into 
his ready maw. The bat, the bee, the beetle and lady- 
bug are rich morsels to his gastric eye, and the golden 
lizard, the umber ant, the silvery eel, the crawling 
angleworm, the chirping cricket, creeping spider, the 
grasshopper, the hopping frog, and e'en the heavenly 
hummingbird are but mealtime mites to him. Per- 
haps the knowledge of this life-destroying trait in all 
the fishes made Cleopatra indifferent to the gentler 
mode of fishing, just as it had a softer influence over 
Audrey, for she, though loving both the fishes and their 
victims, was induced to angle and thus punish, but 
never kill, her finny favorites. She had heard of the 
artificial dry fly Anglers of Europe using the barbless 
hook that held the trout without pain or injury, and 
this she made herself, tying up dozens of somber- 
hued and lustrous patterns on the bent bit of bronze 
that formed the snare. The ruly trout who gently 
waver in the deep pool, satisfied with the food supplied 
by their fair mistress, and who behave themselves 
when they swim abroad in the general ponds and 
streams, are not molested, but the rebellious urchins 
who, disdaining the bits of liver and worm fed to 
them in plenty, go forth to slay the happy ladybug 
and butterfly, are made the game of the barbless hook. 
Audrey has five or six thousand trout in the pond 
and the stream flowing into it. The surrounding 
country is wildly beautiful, the water being surrounded 



Tro-ut on Barbless HooKs 91 

by great trees of elm, hickory, maple, beech, chestnut, 
walnut, and dogwood, under which is spread a rich 
green lawn, with here and there patches of wild shrubs, 
vines, and ground flowers. Rustic benches circle the 
water-edge oaks, and sleek deer, as tame as Belgian 
hares, browse on the rich grass and eat dainty morsels 
from the palms of their human friends. Cleopatra's 
marble perch basin was cold and deadly in its artificial 
atmosphere. Audrey's woodland trout preserve is 
warm and lifelike in its natural loveliness. 



CHAPTER XV 

THE BROOK TROUT INCOGNITO 

{The ''Sea Trout'') 

"I am the wiser in respect to all knowledge and the better 
qualified for all fortunes for knowing that there is a minnow in 
that brook." — Thoreau. 

There is still considerable argument about the 
identification and classification of the sea trout. 
Some authorities still claim the sea trout is a distinct 
species; others declare it to be the brook trout, Salve- 
linus jontinalis, that goes to sea from the fresh water 
ponds and streams. 

The squeteague {vulgo weakfish, wheatfish, sea 
bass, white sea bass, carvina, checutts, shecutts, 
yellowfin, drummer, bluefish, squit, suckermang, 
succoteague, squitee, chickwit, gray trout, sun trout, 
salmon, salmon trout, shad trout, sea trout, salt- 
water trout, spotted trout, etc.) is not a trout of 
any sort ; so this species need not be considered in this 
sea trout discussion. 

My personal theory concerning the sea trout is that 
any trout that goes to sea is a sea trout, and that more 
than one species of trout go to sea — whenever they 
have the opportunity. 

The small-stream trout that visit the ocean do so 
92 



I 



THe BrooK Troxit Incognito 93 

mainly in search of a change in food; the sea-going 
trout of large rivers are impelled to leave their fresh 
water retreats for the ocean waters also to satisfy a 
desire for new varieties of food, but more so because 
of an instinct that warns them of the danger of re- 
maining in the fresh-water rivers during certain periods 
of the year — the coldest seasons when the waters 
freeze to the river bottom, and in the melting time, 
when the ice thaws into huge sharp-edge chunks, and 
the mass of ice, swift-running water, and rocks turn the 
rivers into raging, roaring floods that would cut and 
bruise the trout unmercifully. 

Nature makes these large-river brook trout in the 
calm periods of spring, summer, and autumn, and sea 
trout in severe winter weather and during dangerous 
flood time. 

The broad streams of the west coast of Newfound- 
land — Fishels River, Crabs River, Big and Little 
Codroy Rivers, Big and Little Barachois Rivers, and 
Robinson's River — afford the best evidence of trout 
migrating to the sea to escape the fury of the flood, and 
any of the little trout streams in any part of the world 
where the streams flow into salt water will afford the 
student means of observing the trout's fondness for 
marine excursions in search of a change of diet. 

Just as the different species of trout are widely 
contrasting in colors, shapes, sizes, traits, etc., while 
in their natural habitat — fresh water — so are they 
confoundingly different in these matters while so- 
journing in salt water. 

The true brook trout {Salvelinus fontinalis) is of 
various shades, shapes and sizes, these depending 
upon the character of the water he inhabits. In 
shallow, swift streams of a light color pebble bottom 



94 THe Determined Ang'ler 

the specimens in general are likely to be thin, narrow, 
and of a bright gray hue, though, of course, there are 
individual specimens in this condition of water that 
are exceptions to the rule — a few old specimens who 
have sheltered themselves for years in dark, deep, 
steady spots under the protruding bank of the stream, 
or along the side of a sunken tree stump, etc. This 
autocrat of the eddy is fat, stocky, and dark in color, 
just the opposite of his younger relatives of the swift- 
running part of the stream. 

The brook trout of deep, still dark-bottom ponds are 
fatter, darker, broader, of duller color and of slower 
motion than their brothers of the rapid waters. The 
trout's shape, weight, size, and color are influenced by 
its food, its age, its activity, its habitat, and its habits. 
Its color corresponds to the color of the water bottom, 
and will change as the water bottom changes. If re- 
moved to a new water, where the bottom color is 
different from the bottom color of its first abode — 
lighter or darker, as the case may be — it will gradually 
grow to a corresponding shade, blending with its new 
habitat just as its colors suited the stones and grasses 
and earthy materials of its native domain. 

The landlocked trout, if imprisoned in a deep, dark, 
muddy-bottom, shaded woodland pool, will be dull in 
color, stocky in shape, and of sluggish habits. The 
trout confined to a bubbling fountain pool, with a 
bottom of golden sand, at the foot of a waterfall, in 
the full glare of the sun, will be of albino character. 

Perhaps no other fish offers specimens of its own 
kind so deeply in contrast as fontinalis. This is 
scientifically and interestingly illustrated in many 
ways — color, size, shape, form, action, environment, 
etc. For example, consider the big, fat, long, strong, 



THe BrooK Trovit Incognito 95 

copper-color brook trout that, having access to salt 
water, gormandizes upon the multitudinous food of the 
sea — shrimp, killifish, spearing, spawn, crab, etc. — 
and the tiny, active, silvery albinolike brook trout 
that is locked in a small foamy basin under a dashing 
waterfall, feeding only upon minute Crustacea and the 
insect life that is carried to its watery prison. These 
two specimens are not freakish individuals of their 
species — like the blunt-nose specimen and the various 
other deformities — but are quite common contrasting 
representatives of their tribe. 

If we were to display in a group side by side one of 
each of the shape-and-color-differing specimens — one 
large copper-shade, sea-going brook trout, one tiny 
silvery, fountain-locked brook trout, one ordinary- 
environed brook trout, one blunt-nose brook trout, 
etc. — the fact of their being of an identical species 
would be correctly appreciated by the scientific man 
only. 

I am not resorting to poetic license or theorizing 
or delving into ancient precedents to carry my point 
of natural history, for I once captured one of the big, 
sea-going specimens, and my friend, James Cornell, 
angling in an adjacent stream the same day, brought 
to creel a little silvery beauty of the foamy waterfall. 
Shape, form, tint, weight — every mood and trait — 
were of astounding contrast in these two specimens, 
yet both were of the same species, the true brook 
trout ; my dark, strenuous three-pounder taken in the 
open, brackish creek as I cast from the salt meadow- 
land sod banks, and Cornell's albinolike gamester suc- 
cumbing to the fly in the foamy fountain of a deep 
woodland brook; both specimens widely separated in 
appearance, habits, and habitat, but still both legiti- 



96 TKe Determined Angler 

mate brothers of the family fontinalis — little salmon 
of the streams. 

Trout in the sea feed on shrimp, the spawn of herring, 
and on the entrails of cod and other species of fishes 
thrown away by market fishermen. 

If the sea-going trout did not eat the spawn of the 
herring, herring would be too. plentiful for Nature's 
even-distribution arrangement. The sea trout is 
gorged with herring spawn, which lies in heaps like 
so much sawdust on the shores and shallow places of 
the ocean. Cod spawn and milt float on the water's 
surface; the spawn of the herring sinks. 

The sea trout fresh from the streams is plump, has 
bright red spots, and is in ordinary color when it goes 
to sea; when it returns to the streams, though bigger 
(longer) and stronger, it is comparatively thin, and is 
of white or silver-sheened shade. 

Prof. George Brown Goode {American Fishes): 
"The identity of the Canadian sea trout and the brook 
trout is still denied by many, though the decision of 
competent authorities has settled the question beyond 
doubt." 

Eugene McCarthy (Familiar Fish) : " Many Anglers 
are now turning their attention to catching sea trout, 
either on account of the novelty of the sport or because 
they believe that they are takmg a new variety of fish. 
That there is novelty in such fishing cannot be denied, 
but that the fish is new in any way certainly can be. 
. . . There is no doubt that the sea trout and the brook 
trout are one and the same fish. It is broadly claimed 
that any of the trout can live as well in salt water as 
they can in fresh water, and everything seems to prove 
the claim to be correct. All trout grow to a larger 
size in salt water than in the brooks or rivers, and they 



THe BrooK Tro-ut Incognito 97 

lose their spots in the sea, becoming pale and silvery 
in color. Brook trout were originally found at a dis- 
tance not greater than three hundred miles back 
from the ocean in waters tributary to it. Where 
conditions of temperature were favorable, they in- 
variably sought salt water. When transplanted to, or 
found in, inland waters, they have adapted themselves 
to fresh- water conditions aS well. All members of the 
trout family require cold water for their habitat, 
averaging about 68 degrees or less. Therefore, they 
must either seek the cold water of the ocean, or, if 
barred from that by long stretches of warm-river 
waters, they must seek the cold, small tributaries 
high up in the hills. While trout are found in the high- 
land streams south of New York as far as South 
Carolina, they are not able to seek the sea on account 
of the warm, intervening waters. In Long Island 
(N. Y.) streams all trout are sea-going. From that 
point along the coast northward sea trout are rarely, 
if ever, found until the northern shores of Maine and 
New Brunswick are reached. All rivers flowing into 
the St. Lawrence as far west as Quebec, as well as 
those entering the Saguenay and those of the Labra- 
dor coast, are especially noted for most excellent sea 
trout fishing, and are the favorite resorts of Anglers. 
... In all ways the sea trout corresponds with the 
brook trout when taken in fresh water. If taken in 
salt water, there will only be the variation of coloring. 
. . . ouananiche . . . and sea trout . . . with the 
exception of salmon . . . afford the greatest sport 
that the Angler can find. . . . Exactly the same 
tackle is used (for sea trout) as for ouananiche, trout, 
or bass, and the same flies, both in kind and size. . . . 
When the fish begin to leave the sea and ascend the 



98 THe Determined Angler 

rivers, the bright colorings not only return, but 
actually appear to be more beautiful than those of the 
trout that always remain in fresh water. . . . But 
little attention, comparatively speaking, has been 
given to sea trout, principally because their nature 
was not understood, and, in fact, but little has been 
said or written in regard to them to arouse interest. 
The lessees of the sea trout streams on Long Island 
are very enthusiastic over the fishing they secure, as 
are those sportsmen who have sought it in Canada. 
The Canadian rivers are now more quickly and easily 
reached than formerly, and as the fish are rapidly 
acquiring fame they are bound to become much 
sought after by Anglers. However, sea trout fishing is 
but fishing for brook trout under different conditions, 
and amid varied surroundings. They offer, however, 
two extra inducements — they are more plentiful and 
usually average larger. " 

Charles Hallock {Sportsman's Gazetteer) refers to the 
common theory that sea trout (Canada) are merely a 
clan or detachment of the brook trout which have 
temporarily left their fresh- water haunts for the sea; 
then Mr. Hallock asks: "But, if we must accept this 
as a postulate, we must be permitted to ask why the 
same peculiarities do not attach to the trout of Maine, 
Cape Cod, and Long Island? Why do we not discover 
here this periodical midsummer advent and 'run' of 
six weeks' duration; and why are only isolated in- 
dividuals taken in the salt-water pound nets and fykes 
of Long Island, etc., instead of thousands, as in 
Canada? Moreover, the Canadian sea trout are never 
taken in the small streams, but only in rivers of consid- 
erable size, and the same trout uniformly return to the 
same river, just as salmon do — at least, we infer so 



THe BrooK Xro-ut Incognito 99 

from the fact that six-pounders are invariably found 
in the Nouvelle, and varying sizes elsewhere. Besides, 
we must be able to answer why a portion only of the 
trout in a given stream should periodically visit the 
sea at a specified time, while an equal or greater 
number elect to remain behind in fresh water; for we 
may suppose that, having equal opportunities, all 
have the same instincts and desires." 

But, trout of different localities do not have equal 
opportunities; therefore, they have not the same 
instincts and desires. Local conditions of Nature 
everywhere guide the instincts and govern the desires 
of every living thing. So, the trout of Maine, the 
trout of Cape Cod, the trout of Long Island — in- 
fluenced by local conditions — -are all vastly different in 
opportunities, instincts, desires, etc. The Eskimo 
biped, the African biped — the bipeds of all countries — 
are all species of the animal man, but who dare suggest 
that they all have equal (similar) opportunities and 
the same instincts and desires ? 

Even individuals of the trout of one community 
are profoundly separated in character from their 
immediate brothers and sisters. Trout vary in their 
tastes and antics as they vary in color, shape, and size. 
There are hundreds of natural trout flies and hundreds 
of artificial trout flies, imitations of the Hving insects, 
used as lures in fishing. Why so many patterns? 
Because the trout, like man, is in love with a variet}^ of 
foods at different times, and both man and trout 
change in their tastes by the month, the week, the 
day, the hour, and the minute. 

The Angler does not have to use the hundreds of 
fly patterns at one fishing, but he does experiment 
with a variety of the lures to find the particular pat- 



100 THe Determined Angler 

terns the fish is responsive to at the moment. One or 
two patterns would suffice — if the Angler could select 
the particular species the trout are rising to without 
trying all the patterns until he discovers the killing 
patterns. A chef might please his master with one or 
two of the forty courses billed if he knew what the 
man wanted. Sometimes the Angler can judge the 
appropriate fly to use by observing Nature in seeing 
trout rise to the live fly; but there are times when 
trout are not rising, times when they are tired of the 
fly upon the water, and times when the real fly is not 
on the wing. 

General rules are of no service without a deep 
regard for general conditions, local and otherwise. 
All trout must not be judged alike even if they be of 
one species and in one little pool. Individuals of man, 
though of one race and in one district, are not all alike 
in their habits any more than they are in their shades, 
shapes, and sizes. 

The conditions of the large rivers of Newfoundland 
are different from the conditions of the small streams 
of Maine, Long Island, and Cape Cod; hence the 
differing desires of the trout in these differing waters. 
There is no similarity in the quiet, tiny trout brooks 
of Long Island and the broad torrential rivers of New- 
foundland, and it is only natural that the fishes of 
these deeply contrasting waters should be widely 
separated in character — instinct, desires, color, shape, 
size, etc. So I do not hesitate to express a belief 
that the sea trout, no matter where we find it, is just 
our own iond fontinalis incognito. 

Between Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia, there 
are many wild sea trout rivers where the fish have 
never seen a human being. Angle from the middle of 



THe BrooK Trout Incognito loi 

June to the end of August. In June large sea trout are 
caught in salt water at the mouth of rivers on the 
artificial fly and minnow bait. The best east shore 
sea trout streams are St. Mary's, Muscadoboit, 
Tangier, Cole Harbor, Petpeswick, Quoddy, Sheet 
Harbor, Moser's River, Half-way Brook, Smith 
Brook, Ecwon Secum, Isaac's Harbor, and about 
Guysboro. 

Southwest of Halifax great sea trout fishing may be 
had at Ingram River, Nine Mile River, Hubley's, 
Indian River, and about Liverpool, Chester, and the 
salmon country about Medway. 

In New Brunswick beautiful and prolific sea trout 
waters may be reached from the towns of New Castle 
(Miramichi River and branches — May and June), 
Chatham (Miramichi River, Tabusintac River, Barti- 
bog River, Eskeldoc River), Bathhurst (Niplsguit 
River, Tetagouche River, Caroquet River, Pock- 
mouche River), and Campbellton, in the Bale de 
Chaleur River, Restigouche River, and the Casca- 
pedia, Metapedia, Upsalquitch, Nouvelle, Escuminac 
rivers. 

My choice of sea trout flies includes : Brown Hackle, 
Claret, Cinamon, Codun, Jenny Lind, Parmachenee 
Belle, Montreal, Grouse, Silver Doctor. Use sober- 
hued patterns in fresh water; bright patterns in salt 
water. Hooks: Nos. 7 to 12. 



CHAPTER XVI 

HOOKING THE TROUT 

"Give plenty of time for the fish to swallow the 
hook," says 0. W. Smith, in Outdoor Life (December, 
1 9 14), addressing the croppie (strawberry bass) 
Angler. 

It is not un-anglerlike to catch any fish hooked 
beyond the lips? Angling has its gentle qualities as 
well as its practical ends. It's different in mere fishing. 
I don't believe any Angler would purposely hook his 
game otherwise than in the lip — a nerveless center 
where there is no pain — though the plain fisherman 
may resort to any method in his pursuit. 

I remember some years ago when two fishermen 
caught the same fish (a large fluke), one hook being 
in the fish's mouth and the other hook on the inside 
of the fish's stomach, it was decided after a long dis- 
cussion that the fish really belonged to the man whose 
hook held to the mouth; the swallowed hook was 
judged as illegitimate. 

Fishes hooked in the mouth do not suffer any pain. 
I've recaught many a once-lost specimen with my snell 
in its lip ; these in both fresh water and salt water. 
Incidents of this character furnish one of the many 
proofs that mouth-hooking thefish is perfectly humane. 
Two friends witnessed my catch (July 11, 191 5) of a 
Long Island two-and-one-quarter- pound brook trout 

102 



HooKing tHe Trout 103 

that had a fly^and leader (my first cast) dangling from 
its mouth, the gear he broke away with a few minutes 
before his actual capture. 

There is no need of subjecting fishes to any pain in 
angling. Hook them in the lips, and kill them the 
very second they are taken from the water. Letting 
them die slowly not only pains the captured fishes, but 
injures them as food. 

Be a sportsman in angling as well as in hunting. 
The chivalric gunner, unlike the market shooter, does 
not pot his quail huddled stationary on the ground ; he 
gallantly takes it on the wing — gives it a fair chance. 
So the Angler, unlike the trade fisher, gives his game 
fair play. I catch quite my share of many species of 
fishes, but I only rarely suffer them to swallow the 
bait, and this by accident. Even pickerel and fluke 
(plaice) can be abundantly taken by being hooked in 
the lips. I never allow the pickerel or the black bass 
to swallow the bait ; I hook them in the lip as I hook 
my trout — on the wing, as it were. 



CHAPTER XVII 



DOCTOR NATURE 



"The wise for cure on exercise depend; 
God never made His work for man to mend. " 

"He that takes no holiday hastens a long rest." 

Game is not the only thing sought for by many men 
and women who go angling and shooting. Wise Lord 
Russell used to ride to the hounds until he bagged an 
appetite, then turn suddenly and ride as hard as 
possible to the nearest farmhouse and eat a hearty 
meal. Audubon and Wilson went afield to study 
ornithology; Gray and Thoreau for the study of 
general natural history, and thousands upon thousands 
of men and women less famous have gone afield with 
rod and gun for still another quarry — health. 

Lord Russell's appetite hunting reminds me of the 
case of a young invalid whom I once took on a trout 
fishing trip. The young man had been ill all his life. 
Nobody seemed to know what his complaint was, but 
everybody he came in contact with agreed that he was 
ill. He looked it, and often said he was born that way. 
I defined his case the first day I met him — the city 
complaint, a complication of general under-the- 
weather-ness that is brought about by foul air, im- 
proper exercise, steady indoor work, irregularity, 
cigarettes, and incorrect food incorrectly eaten. He's 
well now. He went out in the woods for two weeks 

104 



Doctor Nat-ure 105 

every three months for six years, and at present he's as 
fat and solid as a Delaware shad. I shall never forget 
his expression when he hooked his first breath of fresh 
air and creeled a genuine outdoor appetite. A woods 
appetite is very different from the hunger that once 
in a while comes to the always-in-the-city man. It 
strikes suddenly, one's knees begin to shake, and a 
cold perspiration breaks out on the forehead. My 
poor young friend, having never previously experi- 
enced an appetite, of course didn't know what had 
taken hold of him. He began to cry and totter, and I 
stepped up to him just in time to save him from falling 
off a moss-covered rock into a roaring trout stream. 

''I'm ill," he said, "have been ill all my life. I 
thought this trip would do me good but I'm worse. 
Please let me lie down; I'm very faint. " 

"Oh, come," said I, "you're only hungry; here, 
give me your rod, and lean on my arm; you'll be all 
right in a little while." 

I took him up to the farmhouse and started him 
slowly on some deviled trout and watercress. Poor 
fellow, he reminded me of a young setter dog born and 
brought up in the city and taken afield for the first time. 
Well, that young man did nothing but cry and eat for 
two weeks. He then went home to tell his folks he had 
come to life, and then hurried out to feed and weep for 
another month. I know a hundred young men and 
women in New York who are in a bad way with the 
city complaint. The streets are filled with ghost-like 
creatures. Lord Derby is right: "If you do not find 
time for exercise you will have to find time for illness." 

"To-morrow we will go a-fishing; do thou go now 
and fetch the bait. " — Hymir to Thar. 



CHAPTER XVIII 

THE BROOK TROUT 

" Then, give me the trout of the mountain stream, 
With his crimson stars and his golden gleam ; 
When he, like a hero, on the moss lies, 

^ The Angler has won his fairest prize!" 

Author Unknown. 

Trout Taking Flies. — "Trout invariably strike the 
insect first with their tails, knocking it into the water 
and then devouring it with a swift dart which can 
hardly be distinguished from the original movement, 
so quickly does one succeed the other. ' ' — W. C. Prime. 

Trout Colors. — The color of a trout*s back depends 
on the color of the bottom of the river. Rapidly 
growing trout differ greatly in spots and color from 
those which grow slowly and thrive badly. A mid- 
dle-aged trout differs in color from an aged trout. 
Speaking generally, the young, healthy, fast-growing 
fish will have silvery sides, white belly, and plenty of 
well-defined spots. The poorly fed fish will have few 
or no spots, a drab belly, and muddy yellow sides. 
Old trout are particularly lank and large-headed. 

Tame Trout. — An English gentleman has two brook 
trout that take flies from his fingers, and that ring a 

io6 



THe DrooK Tro\it 107 

little bell cord^when^they are hungry. They were 
taught this latter performance by having bits of food 
tied to the cord when it was first introduced. 

Wild Trout and Tame. — "Somehow the catching of, 
as it were, stall-fed trout has not the sa;me charm as the 
fishing for the wild trout. The domestics lack that 
fierce rush and dash of the wild beauty." — John B. 
Robinson. 

Sight, Hearing, etc., of Trout. — "There is no ques- 
tion ... as to the high development of the senses of 
sight, taste, and hearing in trout. " — Wm. C. Harris. 

Trout at Play. — "Many times have I leaned over the 
sides of my boat in Northern waters, where the trout 
lay beneath me, and seen the mottled beauties chase 
each other, and race and leap in rivalry of sport, until 
their bright sides irradiated the dark stream with 
glancing light, as if the rays of the sun had taken 
water and were at their bath. " — W. H. H. Murry. 

Trout in Hungary. — The streams of Hungary afford 
excellent angling for trout and grayling. 

Unidentified Trout. — M. P. Dunham of Ovando, 
Montana, a sportsman's guide of many years' experi- 
ence, writes me: "We have two trout here in Mon- 
tana that I do not find pictured in The Angler's Guide 
or any other book I have seen containing the technical 
portraits of the fishes. One of these trout weighs up 
to forty-nine pounds and its average weights are twelve 
pounds to fifteen pounds. The other is a small trout 
that averages less than one pound in weight, and it 



io8 THe Determined A.ng'ler 

has no spots. The large trout has a few spots, these 
being particularly brilliant in the mating season — 
September and October. The best time to fish for this 
large species is in A'ugust and September. Both of 
these unidentified trout will rise to the artificial fly, 
but in fly-fishing I have never taken a specimen of the 
large species that weighed over six pounds, the fish 
ranging beyond this weight favoring small fish and 
red meat for bait. The waters are overstocked with 
the large variety; the small unspotted variety is only 
in one stream." Undoubtedly these two trout are 
odd forms of well-known species. Mr. Dunham 
should send specimens of each to the United States 
Fish Commission at Washington. The small trout will 
undoubtedly prove to be the common mountain trout, 
whose peculiar habitat — the one stream Mr. Dunham 
mentions — is responsible for its peculiar coloring. The 
large fish that ranges up to forty-nine pounds is no 
doubt a form of lake trout which has been known to 
attain a weight of eighty pounds and a length of six 
feet. 

The Trout's Symmetry. — "Few humanly designed 
lines are more graceful than those of the yacht. The 
trout is made up of such lines. It is a submarine 
designed by the Almighty. It makes the most of the 
simple elements of artistic beauty — symmetry of 
line, suggestive of agile power, and delicately blended 
harmonies of rich color. '* — New York Evening Tele- 
gram, editorial page, July 17, 1 915. 

The Beautiful Trout. — "Of all the many species of 
trout, Salvelinus or Salmo, the brook tront, fontinalis, is 
by far the most beautiful. " — Charles Z;beon Southard. 



THe DrooK Trovit 109 

A Loving Trout. — At the Wintergreen estate, High- 
land Lake, Winsted, Conn., a brook trout was kept in 
captivity in a deep spring for seven years. When the 
fish was fifteen inches in length two other brook trout, 
a male and female, each ten inches long, were placed 
in the spring to keep the old fellow company. He 
promptly fell in love with the lady trout and killed 
and swallowed her escort. 

Albino Trout. — The fish hatchery in St. Paul, Minn., 
had at one time twenty thousand albino trout in stock. 
This species was discovered in 1893. There is some- 
thing peculiar in Minnesota waters which aids propa- 
gation of this species. The fish are white mottled with 
red and yellow spots ; the fins are white with red bands 
mottled with yellow. The eyes are red and the trout 
has apparently a transparent skin so that the bones 
are visible through it. 

Rainbow Trout. — Dr. A. E. Buzard, of Hayward, 
Calif., fishing: in the Spokane River within ten minutes' 
walk of the city of Spokane, Wash., creeled eleven rain- 
bow trout weighing, collectively, seventeen pounds. 

Rocky Mountain Trout. — H. E. Peck, of Kenman, 
North Dakota, and H. N. Stabeck, of Minneapolis, 
Minn., enjoyed good trout fishing last summer in the 
Crow West country of the Rocky Mountains. A 
catch of thirty-one trout weighed, collectively, fifty- 
one pounds. The largest specimen weighed three 
and one fourth pounds. 

Flood-water Trout. — When the trout stream is 
flooded, the trout find plenty of food and they gorge 



no TKe Determined Angler 

themselves with worms, etc. Then they refuse the 
Angler's bait for several days — "trout feed on a 
rising stream, not on a falling stream. " — E. Curley. 

A Tame Trout. — " Sunbeam, the pet speckled trout 
in the fish hatchery at Estes Park, is very fond of being 
stroked and petted, and will swim around and rub it- 
self against a person's hand whenever a chance is 
given it." — Estes (Calif.) Correspondent New York 
World. I'll warrant this fish only rubs its lips against 
the hand of man. No fish will willingly allow its body 
to come in contact with a man's hand, because fishes 
are covered with a slime that protects them when they 
encounter rocks, logs, etc., and they naturally would 
not voluntarily waste this valuable armor. 

Traits of the Trout. — The brook trout {Salveliniis 
fontinalis) , using its tail with vigor and precision, will 
splash water into the midst of a mass of flying insects 
(midge, black gnat, mosquito, etc.), and thus disable 
these insects so that they will fall on the surface of the 
water, where they become easy prey to the voracious 
trout. Fontinalis will also use his tail in striking to 
disable larger insects (butterflies, beetles, cricket, 
potato-bug, etc.), and the Angler's artificial flies when 
they are floating in or upon the water. 

R^ainbow Trout. — "The rainbow takes the fly so 
readily that there is no reason for resorting to grass- 
hoppers, salmon eggs, or other bait. It is a fish whose 
gameness will satisfy the most exacting of expert 
Anglers, and whose readiness to take any proper line 
will please the most impatient of inexperienced 
amateurs." — Prof. Evermann. 



THe DrooK Tro\jt ill 

The Tactful Trout. — "Trout are emblems of quiet, 
calm, and gentleness, such as love not to be in troubled 
waters or to be tossed to and fro by the blustering of 
wicked and malevolent spirits, but rather live quiet 
at home than enjoy abundance through labor and 
trouble." — Randal Holme. 

" Double-headed Trout. — A two-headed brook trout is 
the product of the fish hatchery at Colebrook, N. H. 

Trout in Side Currents. — "As a general rule al- 
though many trout are taken near, very near the 
rough, white water of a stream, they do not as a rule 
lie in the very swiftest portions, but in adjacent and 
quieter side currents." — Samuel G. Camp. 

The Angler's Joy. — "The brook trout always will 
be the Angler's greatest joy, but the German brown 
trout [introduced in American waters] and the rainbow 
trout add variety to the social life of the streams. " — 
Neal Brown. 



CHAPTER XIX 

THE ANGLER 

" I live not in myself, but I become 
Portion of that around me ; and to me 
High mountains are a feeling, but the hum 
Of human cities torture." 

Byron. 

"He'd eat his lunch in a minute; 
He had no time to spare. 
At a mounted fish, in a window 
He'd stop an hour to stare." 

Judge. 

The Lone Angler. — "The reason a man likes to go 
angling is that his family doesn't like to go with 
him. " — New York Press. 

The True Angler. — "If true Anglers, you are sure 
to be gentle ; and as the truly gentle are always virtu- 
ous, you must be happy. Let neither prosperity nor 
adversity deaden 'the fresh feeling after Nature' 
which the use of the rod and reel always heightens or 
confers. Whether overladen with good fortune or 
suffering under the shocks of adversity, forget not to 
take the magic wand and repair to the murmuring 
waters. 'The music of those gentle moralists will 
steal into your heart * ; and, while invigorating physical 
energy, your souls will be charmed and your minds 

112 



The Angler 113 

soothed and tempered by the melody of birds, the 
sights of nature, and the sounds of inferior animals 
above, around, and beneath the enlivening waters. 
With rosy dreams and bright streams, breezy morns 
and mellow skies, a light heart and a clear conscience, 
may 'God speed ye well.*" — Genio C. Scott, Fishing 
in American Waters. 

Real vs. Rural Angler. — The assertion that the 
bent-pin-fishing country boy can catch more trout 
than the properly equipped Angler is material of the 
comic papers. No impracticable boy, whether he be 
of the country or of the city, can excel the correctly 
rigged, careful Angler. The bent-pin youth of the 
farm may outfish the unskillful, showy tyro from the 
city, but to compete with the scientific Angler he 
would have about the same chance of outfishing the 
expert as a cow would have fishing alongside of a mink. 

The Bicycle Angler. — Mr. David Rivers writes me: 
"I ride my wheel to my favorite angling places regu- 
larly in the spring, summer, and autumn times. The 
four-ounce rod takes up no noticeable space on the 
wheel, and my leader-box and fly-book are easily 
carried in my pockets. " 

The Determined Angler. — "There is pecuHar 
pleasure in catching a trout in a place where nobody 
thinks of looking for them, and at an hour when 
everybody believes they cannot be caught." — Henry 
van Dyke. 

Dry and Wet Fly Angler. — "StartHng as the state- 
ment may sound, it is probably true that the really 



114 TKe Determined Angler 

good wet-fly fisherman is a greater rarity than the 
really good dry-fly man. " — London Field. 

The Expert Fly Angler. — "A real expert with the 
wet-fly is a much rarer bird than one with the dry. " — 
London Fishing Gazette. 

The Finished Fly Angler. — " . . . to be a finished 
wet-fly Angler one must possess as much skill as the 
dry-fly fisherman. "—Emlyn M. Gill. 

The Angler Body and Soul. — "To take fish is only 
the body of the gentle art. Some of its real enjoyments 
are what the Angler sees and feels — the echo of the 
running streams, the music of the birds, the beauty of 
the flowers peering at him from every side, the bracing 
atmosphere, the odor of pines, hemlocks, and spruce; 
the hush of the woods at night, the morning song of 
the robin, and the revived appetite. "^— A. L. H. 

Ye Gude Angler. — "Wha ever heard o* a gude 
angler being a bad or indifferent man?" — Noctes. 

The Merry Angler. — "And if the angler take fysshe: 
surely thenne is there noo man merier than he is in 
his spyryte. " — Dame Juliana Berners (1496). 

The Religious Angler. — "The old man fished not 
for pastime, nor solely for a subsistence, but as a 
solemn sacrament and withdrawal from the world, 
just as the aged read their Bible. " — Thoreau. 

The Satisfied Angler. — Trout in the creel or no 
trout in the creel, the Angler never complains of poor 



The Angler I15 

sport if there be trout in the water he fishes, if the 
weather be pleasant, and the scenery fair. Some fisher- 
men judge their day by the actual catch of fish. The 
true rodster loves the pursuit and capture of the fish, 
the bright day, and the beautiful natural surroundings 
equally well. 

The Tidy Angler. — I don't care if the fish I catch 
weigh only a pound, no matter what the species may 
be. My tackle is light, fine, and properly rigged, and 
with it, in taking big fish or half-pound and pound 
fish, I have just as much sport as the man who uses 
heavy, coarse, ill-kept tackle on bigger game alone. 
The woodcock — the king of game birds — is bagged 
with No. 10 shot, but the sport of taking it is quite as 
great as the shooting of fowl ten times its size. 

The Assiduous Angler. — The constant-in-applica- 
tion man becomes the practical fisherman. 

The Compleat Angler. — "Walton's book is as fresh 
as a handful of wild violets and sweet lavender. It 
breathes the odors of green fields and woods." — 
Henry van Dyke. 

The Literary Angler. — Izaak Walton's famous 
work. The Compleat Angler, or the Contemplative Man's 
Recreation, a copy of the first edition, small 8vo, 
original sheep binding, London, 1653, brought the 
highest price of the day (April 9, 191 5) at the sale of 
the Hbrary of the late General Brayton Ives at the 
American Art Galleries, New York, $2475. George 
D. Smith was the successful bidder. The record price 
for this edition is |6ooo, which was paid at the sale of 



Ii6 THe Determined Ang'ler 

the library of W. C. Van Antwerp of New York some 
years ago at Sotheby's in London by the late Bernard 
Quaritch, acting as agent for the late J. Pierpont 
Morgan, in whose collection the valuable volume 
now is. 

A Centenarian Angler. — Mrs. Jane T. Rinkle of 
Bristol, Tenn., is over one hundred years of age. Still 
vigorous for one of her years, Mrs. Rinkle believes that 
her long life and her bright prospect for living some 
years longer is due to her fondness for angHng. "I 
have hardly passed a fishing season in fifty years," said 
the old lady at her last anniversary party, ''that I 
have not gone to the river with hook and line.'* 

The Woman Angler. — The Duchess of Bedford has 
the distinction of a record catch of English salmon. 
Her creel for one day numbered thirteen, the greatest 
string of salmon ever taken in a single day by a woman. 
Three other prominent English women Anglers are 
Lady Sybil Grey, daughter of Earl Grey, Milicent, 
Duchess of Sutherland, and Lady Rosemary Portal, 
only child of the second Earl of Cairns. Each of these 
ladies are highly expert in fly-casting. 

The Waltonian Angler. — "It matters not at all 
what trout waters the Angler fishes if he has the true 
and kindly spirit of Izaak Walton, the Master A?igler 
of years ago; for then every stream and lake has its 
own peculiar and delightful charms in which the Angler 
revels while angling, with either the wet or the dry 
fly, to fathom their piscatorial secrets. Of all sport, 
I know of none that seems to develop in the individual 
such a kindly spirit, such a full appreciation of all 



The Angler 117 

living things, and such an absorbing love for the many 
and varied charms of 'the open* as fly-fishing." — 
Charles Zibeon Southard. 

The Merciful Angler. — The names of three members 
of a recent jury in the County Court of Brooklyn, 
N. Y., were Fish, Fisher, and Fishline — a trio of honest 
men, no doubt. With Bates and Waters added, this 
jury would have little trouble in mercifully holding up 
the scales of justice. 

The Peaceful Angler. — "Don't think of your busi- 
ness or profession while fishing. Forget your desk, 
your pen, and also your debts and your enemies, if you 
have any. " — "The Professor. '* 

The Mathematical Angler. — " His rule in fishing was 
to fish in the difficult places which others were likely 
to skip.'* — Daniel Webster. 

The Ever- Youthful Angler. — "Don't become old — 
go fishing once or twice a week. " — "The Professor." 

The Halcyonian Angler. — "The whole arcana book 
of trout fishing consists in rather the mental construc- 
tion of the Angler than in the manner and method of 
the process. The fish is a convenient peg, so to say, 
on which we hang the dolcefar niente, and render the 
day's sport in its pursuit halcyon and superlative. 
The sport itself may be insufficient, but there is always 
some recompense in the effort made and in the close 
communion with 'dear nature's self.* Not always do 
large bags and great results crown the Angler's desire. 
Too often it is far otherwise, and yet the true Angler 



Ii8 THe Determined Angler 

never feels like giving up iSshing because of poor 
sport." — John Harrington Keene 

The Luxuriant Angler. — James L. Breeze's string of 
salmon pools in Restigouche cost this enthusiastic 
Angler fo5,ooo. 

The Concentrated Angler. — "A gentleman hesitates 
to bother anybody whose mind is concentrated on his 
fishing. The expert knows by experience one question 
leads to another, then on to begging, borrowing, or 
buying. The expert knows that tyros are never pro- 
vided with tackle, bait, or reasonable consideration for 
others. They expect the whole boatload of Anglers to 
wait on them because they catch no fish." — Louis 
Rhead. 

The Home Angler. — "The sporting element among 
fishermen haven't any fine sensibilities . . . the true 
fishermen fish for edible fish only for their own use and 
the use of their families." — "Piscator." 

The Lost Angler. — "Remember that water always 
is supposed to run south, save in a few instances where 
it runs direct north or west from the mountains, as the 
Red River in Minnesota, flowing north, for instance. 
This certainly would be a misleader. But as a rule 
water runs south. Follow it. Along streams man 
makes his abode. " — Robert Page Lincoln. 



CHAPTER XX 

ANGLING 

"... which, as in no other game 
A man may fish and praise His name. " 

W. Basse. 

" I chose of foure good dysportes and honeste gamys, that is to 
wyte: of huntynge: hawkynge: fysshynge: and foulynge. The 
best to my symple dyscrecon why then is fysshynge: called 
Anglynge with a rodde : and a line and an hoke. " — Dame Juliana 
Berners, The Treatyse of Fysshynge wyth an Angle, 1496. 

"If the bending rod and the ringing reel 
Give proof that you've fastened the tempered steel, 
Be sure that the battle is but begun 
And not till he's landed is victory won." 

Author Unknown. 

Fair and Foul Angling. — Anybody can catch a 
trout with a worm. This is the bait of the boy and 
the boatman. The Angler gives the trout a fair battle 
with the artificial fly. Comparing live-bait fishing 
to artificial fly angling is like comparing blacksmithry 
to jewel working, bronco breaking to genteel horse- 
manship, or buccaneering to yachting. 

Refinement of Angling. — Angling is fishing governed 
by rules of chivalry — correct tackle, limit in the catch, 
and humane treatment of the game. 

119 



120 THe Determined Angler 

Landing the Fish. — "The surest way to take the 
fish is give her leave to play and yield her line." — 
Quarles, Shepheard's Eclogues, 1644. Subdue a big 
fish before you try to land him. Don't be in a hurry. 
Give him line, but keep it taut (not tight), and don't 
become excited. Don't try to yank him out of his 
element or pull him through the line guides. Raise the 
rod tip over the back of your head, and don't grab the 
line — guide the game into the landing net or up to 
the gaff. Take your time. Be glad if the fish escapes. 
His life is as important as yours — to him, at least. 
Besides, you'd soon tire of fishing if you never lost a 
fish. "The play's the thing" in angling, anyway, 
because, as an Angler, you can buy fish cheaper than 
you can catch them, if you play fair — if you're not of 
the gentry that judge the day by quantity instead of 
quality. Some of the greatest Anglers are the poorest 
fish killers, but to them one fish correctly captured on 
chivalric tackle means more than a tubful of butchered 
victims means to the unenlightened bungler. Contrast 
and conditions count for something in everything. 
If there were no cloudy days we'd never correctly 
value the sunshine. Method in the pursuit, ap- 
propriateness of the equipment, and uncertainty 
in the catch, wholly distasteful to the selfish 
neophyte, are thoroughly appreciated by the 
Angler. 

Ancient Angling. — One of the most ancient literary 
works on fishing, perhaps the most ancient of all really 
known volumes on the subject, is Hauleutics of 
Oppian, the work of a Greek poet, a.d. 198, from 
which many articles on fishing and angling, thought 
to be modern, have been taken. Athenaeus tells us 



Ang'ling 121 

that several writers wrote treatises or poems on fishing 
centuries before the Christian era. 

Old Angling Books. — 1486 — The Booke of St. Albans; 
by Dame JuHana Berners. 1590 — Booke of Fishing 
with Hook and Line; by Leonard Mascall. 1596 — 
Hawking, Hunting, Fowling and Fishing; by W. C. 
Faukener. 1606 — Booke of Angling or Fishing; by 
Samuel Gardner, D.D. 1651 — Art of Angling; by 
Thomas Barker (the second edition of this book, 
pubhshed in 1 657, was issued under the title of Barker's 
Delight). 1652 — Young Sportsman' s Delight and In- 
structor in Angling, etc.; by Gervase Markham. 1653 
— The Compleat Angler, or the Contemplative Man's 
Recreation, etc. ; by Izaak Walton (the second edition, 
almost rewritten by the author, appeared in 1655). 
1662 — Experienced Angler, or Angling Improved; by 
Robert Venables. 1676 — Angler's Delight, etc.; 
by William Gilbert. 1681 — Angler's Vade Mecum; by 
Chetham. 1682 — Complete Troller; by Nobles. 1696 
— The True Art of Angling; by J. S. 

Carrying the Rod. — Joint your rod only when you 
reach the place of angling, and take it apart again 
when you are ready to leave the water for camp, 
unless the camp is on the edge of the lake or stream. 
When angling along thickly wooded banks, carry the 
rod in front of you, tip first, pointing the tip through 
the bushes you penetrate; never pull it after you. 
Fasten the hook on one of the reel bars, and then 
thrust the rod's tip through the branches or shrub- 
bery ahead of you when you move along, casting here 
and there. This is not necessary when one only moves 
a step or two, for then, if there be open space, the rod 



122 THe Determined Angler 

and line may be held clear of the underbrush and 
branches. In all cases keep the rod ahead of you. 
When disjointed, the rod pieces may be held together 
by small rubber bands until the rod case is made use of, 
but don't lay the rod away with the rubber bands 
intact, as the rubber will bend the tip out of shape, 
dislodge the wood coating, disturb the whipping, and 
tarnish the ferrules. Dr. E. F. Conyngham of Bonner, 
Mont., doesn't like my notion of carrying the rod tip 
first. The Doctor says he favors carrying it butt first 
with the tip trailing behind. "I have fished with a 
fly for trout and salmon nearly forty years in Europe 
and this continent," says the Doctor, "and never yet 
saw an expert Angler carry a rod in the way described 
by Mr. Bradford. That is just the proper caper to 
break tips. The rod in going through brush should be 
carried butt forward ; then the tip will trail as easily as 
the tail on a dog, and furthermore, you can walk at 
good speed without interference. In my many years 
of fly fishing I have had one broken tip; a woman 
knocked it down and stepped on it. Luckily it was 
lancewood, so I could repair it. What would have been 
my predicament had the rod been of split bamboo?'* 
Very good. Doctor. I may be wrong but, I learned 
my way from my fathers of the angle — Seth Green, 
John Harrington Keene, Frederick Mather, WiUiam 
C. Harris, et al. — when I was being taught first lessons 
in fly-fishing. vSeth Green, John Keene, and Harris 
personally advised me to carry the fly rod tip in front 
of me, and each of the trio personally showed me the 
method on the trout streams. Harris and Keene 
always carried their fly rods tip flrst, and I have seen 
both these experts along the streams many times 
during many years of personal fishing with both of 



Angling 123 

these Anglers. However, Dr. Conyngham must not 
be denied his view on the subject. Just as there are 
famous wing shots who shoot with one eye closed 
and other experts who give trigger with both eyes 
open, so in angling, there are many practiced hands 
who disagree on the various ways and means in fishing. 
I favor keeping my tip in front of me, and while I 
shall never change this method, I refrain from con- 
demning Dr. Conyngham's contrastive way of carrying 
his tip. Charles Zibeon Southard agrees with both the 
Doctor and me. He advises carrying the tip ahead in 
the open and behind in the brush. 

The Angling World. — "Angling takes us from the 
confusion, the filth, and the social and moral degrada- 
tion of the big cities and places us in close contact 
with one of the most important divisions of human 
labor — the cultivation of the soil, which is the real 
foundation of all national wealth and true social 
happiness. Everything connected with the land is cal- 
culated to foster the best and noblest feehngs of the 
soul and to give the mind the most lofty and sublime 
ideas of universal nature. To men of contemplative 
habits the roaming along brooks, rivers, lakes, and 
fields gives rise to the most refined intellectual enjoy- 
ment. Such persons move in a world of their own and 
experience joys and sorrows with which the world 
cannot meddle. " — A. L. H. 

Colorado Trout Streams. — Colorado has six thou- 
sand miles of trout streams. 

Angling Saves Words. — " Contemplation and quiet- 
ness! Will these words soon be labeled in our die- 



124 THe Determined Angler 

tionaries ' obsolete ' ? It would seem so ; yet there will 
be some use for them, among old-fashioned folk, as 
long as the word 'angling' holds its place." — Willis 
Boyd Allen. 

Large-Trout Angling. — Frank Brigg, of London, 
England, fishing in New River, caught an eighteen- 
pound trout, the heaviest specimen of trout ever 
taken in a London water. 

Speculation in Angling. — "I often wonder if the 
basis of fishing is not founded upon the element of 
chance, and whether fishing does not fascinate because 
it is a species of gambling. To a degree it is a hazard. 
You take your best tackle, select your choicest bait, 
and you do more, for you pray to the goddess of 
success." — "Ancient Mariner." 

Economy in Angling. — "Don't take more fish than 
you can use; if you do, you take that which belongs 
to someone else." — "Tops'l." 

An Angling Classic. — "Angling is the only sport 
that boasts the honor of having given a classic [Izaak 
Walton's The Compleat Angler, 1653] to literature." — 
Henry van Dyke. 

How to Approach a Trout. — " . . . sense of hearing 
in all species of fish is a matter of concussion on the 
surface of the water. Sit motionless in a boat, and you 
may sing, "I Won't Go Home 'Til Morning, " or any 
other gala song, to the extreme high limit of your 
voices, and the trout or any other fish will remain un- 
disturbed, but, scratch your toe upon the bottom of 



Angling 125 

the boat, and presto ! the pool is as dead and barren 
as a burned prairie. Approach a pool from over the 
bank with a careless tread, and when you reach it the 
trout are gone, none know where. Crawl to the pool 
noiselessly on all fours and you will find your trout 
reposing without fear of danger. The avoidance of 
concussion is the great factor on a trout pool or stream 
in getting a satisfactory creel. Slide, rather than step, 
in wading, and your success will be greater." — Wm. 
C. Harris 

Strike from the Reel or Hand? — ''The strike must 
be made with sufficient force and no more. If in- 
sufficient, the hook will not penetrate far enough to 
hold the fish in its subsequent struggles, and if the 
force is excessive the gut will break at its weakest 
point, and leave the fly and possibly one or more 
strands of gut in the trout's jaws. The Angler should 
acquire the habit of striking from the reel, i.e., without 
holding the line in the hand. Many old fishermen 
prefer holding the line when striking, but it is at best a 
risky proceeding, and too likely to result in a breakage 
of the gut."— F. M. Halford, The Dry-Fly Man's 
Handbook. "Personally I never 'strike from the 
reel' . . . because less control is had over the line, 
likewise the fish." — Charles Zibeon Southard, Troui 
Fly- Fishing in America. I favor Mr. Halford's 
method — " strike from the reel " — in fly-fishing and in 
weakfish fishing with light tackle. In heavy bait 
fishing, Mr. Southard's strike with the "hand-held 
line" suits me. 

The Silver Hook. — "There is a good deal of fun in 
thinking you are going to have it. " — New York Press. 



126 TKe Determined A.ngler 

True; Walton says the Angler's anticipation of fishing 
is as great a joy as the realization of it. 

Angling Ailment. — "We never get over the fishing 
fever; it is a dehghtful disease, and, thank the Lord, 
there is no cure. " — Ira W. Moore. 

Angling and Nature. — "Association with men of 
the world narrows the heart ; communion with nature 
expands it. " — Jean Paul Richter. 

Angling and Mathematics. — "Angling may be said 
to be so much like the Mathematics, that it can ne'er 
be fully learnt; at least not so fully, but that there will 
still be more new experiments left for the tryal of 
other men that succeed us." — Izaak Walton, The 
Compleat Angler, 1653. 

Tendency of Angling. — "I am now over 76 [years 
in age] and owe my life to fishing, and I find the 
tendency of fishing is to make one careful, artful, 
patient, and practical." — "Watcher." 

Angling a Science. — "Angling is a science, not 
merely a pastime. It will broaden you and start your 
boy in a manly sport that will draw him to the country 
instead of to the dance hall, to the fields and streams 
instead of to the pool room. " — " Greenhorn." 

Fly vs. Worm. — "That fly-fishing is clean, and free 
from the muscular efforts of mountain-climbing; that 
it is usually rewarded with larger fish than those taken 
with a worm; that it has a freedom, a jollity, a certain 
broad, wide-spaced exhilaration, I willingly admit. 



Ang'lin^ 127 

But, the humbler, old-fashioned method has a charm 
of its own which I am not ready to forego. " — Willis 
Boyd Allen. 

"Ye Gods and Little Fishes.**— "When we have 
become familiar with the great cities with their be- 
wildering sights and distracting sounds, the finest 
things remain to be discovered, and these discoveries 
must be made as we stand open-eyed in the presence 
of God's workmanship. Hills and streams, woods and 
flowers, bees and birds and butterflies, the flora and 
fauna of this earth where we have our home for a 
little time, should, somehow, be brought into the life 
of the child. The boy who grows up into manhood 
without being privileged to know the world of nature 
by personal contact has been robbed. He may be 
intelHgent in many things and a useful member of 
society, but he has missed out of life some of its 
deepest satisfactions and purest joys. Indeed, such 
an one is not symmetrically educated, and is quite 
likely to be put to shame as the years pass by." — 
Lathan A. Crandall, Days in the Open. 

Angling Is its Own Reward. — "No other sportsman 
brings home more from his sport than he takes to it 
than the fisherman. His basket is heavy with present 
food in the morning, and loaded with future food in 
the afternoon, with an appetite and a sleepetite that 
requires three days to satisfy. '* — Hy. JuHus. 

Ideal Angling Time. — The last two weeks in June — 
what lovelier period for brook trout fishing in the rich 
flower-lined mountain streams? When does the wild 
shrub smell sweeter than now, the wind blow more 



128 THe Determined A-n^ler 

balmily, the songbirds trill sweeter, and the spotted 
trout bite better? 

Landing the Trout. — The proper time to spend in 
landing a fish all depends upon the condition of your 
fishing ground. Lead your prize away from obstruc- 
tions, keep the line taut, and do not nervously hurry 
the play. Take your time. 

Fishes' Feeding-Time. — Fishes are said to bite 
better between the new moon and the first quarter; 
or between the last quarter and the change. 

Calmness in Angling. — Don't hurry a large fish. 
Subdue him as far from you as possible. 

Shadowless Angling. — Never let your shadow fall 
upon the angling water. Keep the sun in front of 
you. 

Striking and Hooking. — Nothing is more difficult 
to learn about fly-fishing than the art of striking or 
hooking the game. 

The Fishless Fisherman. — "You took a day off 
from your work and went fishing? Have any luck?'* 
** Certainly. A day off is luck enough." — New York 
American. 

Angling Spirit. — "It is the way we do things and 
the spirit in which we prosecute our endeavors that 
counts. The man who takes the day to go fishing on 
the great ocean or in the forest and can commune with 
Nature can be as good a Christian as the best man that 



Ang'ling 129 

ever entered the portals of a church, cathedral, or 
synagogue. " — "Nature Factor. " 

All Sports in Angling. — "The sport that sums up 
dancing, song and picture, athletics and all games of 
chance is angling. The waves make you dance, all 
pictures roll before you, any chance can win the pool, 
and every fishing boat is a sdngerfest.'" — B. M. 
Briggs. 

Early Trout Angling. — "Don't let anyone tell you 
of the folly of trout fishing in early April. It's great 
sport, and if you're skillful enough to get a few of the 
gamest and wisest fish that swims at this time of the 
year your success will be complete in May and June, 
when the ideal weather comes. '* — H. T. Walden. 

Skill vs. Kill. — "To quaHfy as a sportsman in the 
taking of any kind of game, a man must show much 
more enthusiasm in skill rather than in the kill, 
always remembering to give or inflict the least pain 
possible on the game taken by his skill." — Wes' 
Wood. 

Rainbow Trout Angling. — "I get harder play with a 
three-pound rainbow trout than with a maskinonge of 
twenty-five pounds. I have caught only a few rainbow 
trout. The first one I ever caught was three years 
ago in the Esopus Creek in the Catskills. I felt some- 
what reheved when I had him in the net. He was the 
gamest fish for his size I ever hooked, and I have 
killed ten and twelve pound salmon on a trout rod. 
The rainbow trout is first cousin to the lordly salmon." 
—M. J. Doyle. 



130 TKe Determined Angler 

Secret of Angling. — "Fishing is more than catching. 
Its pleasures are the whole outdoors. Appreciation 
is the secret of the lure. " — Theodore Macklin. 

Limit in Angling. — "It is very foolish for Anglers, 
when they get more fishes than they want, to even 
give them away; far better it would be for them 
to stop fishing when they have caught enough for 
themselves, and give the fish a chance." — George 
Hartley. 

Age of Angling. — "The allurement of fishing is as 
old as the granite mountains of the Andes. Down 
through the ages of the past, even from the day of the 
anthropophagi, comes to us the fact that all the world 
rejoices in the gentle art of fishing. Fishing — the one 
word that opens up to our understanding the philo- 
sophy of nature — is the fundamental basis of our 
civilization." — David Jones. 

Gentility in Angling. — "Sportsmanship abhors 
greed and all vulgarity. " — H. W. Wack. 

Angling Clears the Brain. — "When we are confused 
and harried by the turmoil of modern life, our heads 
and our hearts aching with its complex problems, its 
exigent demands, its rebuffs, and its bitter disappoint- 
ments, let us turn once more to the forest and meadow, 
the peaceful stream, with the fleecy clouds or over- 
hanging boughs kindly tempering the rays of the 
summer sun; let us drop our pens, abandon for the 
nonce our manuscript, our ledgers, or the stock re- 
ports of the day, and 'go a-fishing.'" — Willis Boyd 
Allen. 



Angling' 131 

Up and Down Stream. — "I fish up stream (and I 
think this best) and down stream and across stream — • 
according to wind and time and weather, etc., and the 
sun. I have found I can get the larger fish in upstream 
fishing; but there are pools one can't get the flies to — 
the likely places — from below, nor yet from either side. 
When I come to such a pool I get above and cover it 
well by casting across stream from me — the sun being 
opposite — and let my flies float down, drawing them 
the while across current with a twitching motion, as 
an insect struggling to swim across. It is a deadly 
method if well done and gets the big ones too. I hold 
the line of course in my left hand, and as I gently 
raise the rod with my right, I take in line with my 
left, thus at all times having full control and ready for 
a strike. " — Ernest L. Eubank. 

Fly-Fishing First. — ''Fly-fishing comes first, then 
comes bait casting with the fly rod; third, still fishing; 
fourth, casting of live bait with the short rod from the 
reel, and last, if not entirely without the pale of true 
sportsmanship, the use of the plug. '* — Rayx. 

Fly Rod and Bait Rod. — "It takes some skill to 
keep sixty feet of line in the air when fly casting, and 
requires free space for the back cast. It is fascinating 
work and requires more delicacy in handling a fly rod 
than a bait rod. The fly rod, especially in Southern 
Missouri waters, lands more fish during the day than 
the bait rod, but the latter lands larger fish. The bait 
caster makes fewer casts on account of reeling in the 
line after each cast, but the water is more effectively 
covered. One has to be a judge of the water and 
determine which method should be used. In the 



132 THe Determined Angler 

northern lakes bait casting is far superior in results 
to fly casting. " — M. J. Brennan. 

Land and Water.— " You're natural when fishing, 
and unnatural on shore. Fishing rubs the barnacles 
off your natural self, and makes your bodyship sail 
more easily. " — B. M. Briggs. 

First Record of Angling. — "The first authentic 
record of anghng appears in the Old Testament of the 
Bible, computed to be about 1500 years before Christ, 
where the Lord asked Job: 'Canst thou take out a 
fish with the hook? * " — John Ryan. 

Roman Angling. — The walls of Pompeii are adorned 
with angling scenes. 



CHAPTER XXI 

TROUT FLIES 

"To make several flies 
For the several skies, 
That shall kill in despite of all weathers." 

Charles Cotton. 

Weight of Flies. — "Flies do not soon get tired; . . . 
they are Hght; the wind carries them. An ounce of 
flies was once weighed, and afterwards counted; and 
it was found to comprise no less than six thousand 
two hundred and sixty-eight." — Victor Hugo, The 
Toilers of the Sea. 

The Dry-Fly. — "Upon the curHng surface let it 
glide, with natural motion from thy hand supplied." — 
Unknown Author. The italics in the word surface 
are ours. The dry artificial fly must swim on the 
surface, must fly upstream, must have no companion 
fly, must keep dry by sailing in the air between actual 
casts, and must attract the fish by minutely mimick- 
ing the living fly both in the air and on (not in) the 
water. 

Vegetable Flies. — Bearded seed of the wild oat and 
a silvery willow leaf have been used successfully as 
artificial flies for brook trout and black bass. 

133 



134 THe Determined Angler 

To Carry Flies. — Do not use your large fly-book 
when wading. Put a half dozen seasonable patterns 
in your hatband, and a dozen more in a little book 
that will not bulge your pocket. 

Variety in Flies. — You can never carry too many 
trout flies on your trip. Fill your fly-book and stick 
them all over the crown of your hat. Trout do not 
like the same fly at all times any more than you are 
fond of feeding on one sort of meat. 

Clumsy Flies. — Most trout flies are too large, and 
they frighten more trout than they attract. 

A New Fly. — " ... an altogether original fly, 
unheard of, startling, will often do great execution in 
an overfished pool. " — Henry van Dyke. 

The Floating Fly.— "The floating fly seemed to 
have the effect of arousing the trout to action at once. 
During the week I estimate that there was an average 
of ten rises to the dry-fly to every one to the same fly 
wet. "— Emlyn M. Gill. 

Fishing the Dry-Fly. — "The dry-fly is clearly out of 
place on the wet-fly water as the wet-fly is on the dry- 
fly stream. After all, it is only in the style of deceiving 
and hooking fish that dry-fly and wet-fly Anglers . . . 
assuming both to be good sportsmen . . . can much 
differ. In nearly all other fly-fishing matters they 
must naturally be at one. It has already been said 
that the dry-fly is quite out of place in many trout 
streams. The dry-fly streams, though they have 
increased of late years, are still and ever must be in 



Trout Flies 135 

a decided minority. The dry-fly Angler is not, as a 
rule, a very early riser. He can do nothing without 
natural flies, and in my experience there are very few- 
duns or other water-flies out till nine or even ten o'clock 
in the morning. " — A. B. Dewar, The Book of the Dry- 
Fly. 

American Dry-Flies. — "Whirling Dun, Wickham's 
Fancy, Pale Evening Dun, Jenny Spinner, (Hackle 
Fly), Willow Fly (Hackle Fly), Orange Fish Hawk 
(Hackle Fly), Olive Dun, Soldier Palmer (Hackle Fly), 
Silver Sedge, Red Spinner, White Miller, Coachman, 
Black Gnat."— Emlyn M. Gill, Practical Dry-Fly 
Fishing. 

Brazilian Flies. — Brazilian flies, costing seven dol- 
lars a ton, are used to feed fishes in England. 

Fresh Flies. — "When trout are taking the fly on the 
surface, and are not simply feeding on the larvae as 
they swim upward, a brand new fly is more likely to 
catch a fish than one which has been a great deal used. 
I always use May-flies dressed on eyed hooks, have a 
goodly supply, and when one gets so wet as to necessi- 
tate a considerable amount of labor in the drying of it, 
off it comes, and is stuck in my cap to dry at its leisure. 
Of course it is rather wasting to the cast — this frequent 
changing flies — and no little trouble to those whose 
fingers are all thumbs, and whose eyesight is becoming 
dim, but it is far less trouble to change the fly than to 
dry it when thoroughly soaked." — London Fishing 
Gazette. 

Rocky Mountain Trout Flies. — First, Royal Coach- 
man; second, Gray Hackle with yellow body. Then: 



136 THe Determined Angler 

Black Gnat, Ginger Quill, Cowdung, Blue Quill, 
Grizzly King, Shad Fly, and Stone Fly. Hooks, No. 
6 to 14. 

Early Season Flies. — Dark Stone, Codun, Alder, 
Bowman, Black May, Beauty, Ben Bent, Blue Bottle, 
Hare's Ear. 

All-Season Flies. — Alder, Gray Palmer, Green 
Palmer, Ginger Palmer, March Brown, Reuben Wood, 
Professor, White Miller, Coachman, Royal Coachman, 
Dark Coachman, Codun, Scarlet Ibis, Brown Palmer, 
Red Palmer, Grizzly King, Queen of the Water, King 
of the Water, Brown Hen, Black Gnat. Early in the 
season use hooks No. 6 to 8; later, No. 8 to 12. Use 
the small patterns on streams, and the large patterns 
on lakes and rough waters; and, as I have repeatedly 
suggested, when the day is bright and where the water 
is clear, use the small flies of plain colors ; on dark days 
and in the evening, use the large bright flies. 

Dyed-Feather Flies. — "Some Anglers say no dyed 
feathers should be used in tying flies, that they fade 
to a damaging extent. We have always found dyed 
feathers practicable." — London Rod and Gun. 

The Brown Hackle. — "Fasten red (crimson red) 
wool round a hook, and fit into the wool two feathers 
which grow under a cock's wattles." — ^Elian, third 
century, a.d. "Out of the thousands of trout that I 
have caught, it is safe to say that over 70 per cent, 
were taken with the Brown Hackle. " — C. T. Ramsey. 
Two hundred Anglers, representing all parts of the 
United States, contributed fly-fishing chapters to 



Troxjt riies 137 

Favorite Flies. Mary Or vis Marbury's wonderful 
volume on artificial flies and fly-fishing, and 130 of 
them declared the Brown Hackle their favorite pattern. 
" I had supposed that the Red Hackle was an imitation 
of the small red cate-:pillar, but the veteran Nessmuk 
affirms that it resembles nothing below or above. It is 
his favorite bug, and that settles the question." — 
H. C. Wilcox, Favorite Flies. 



CHAPTER XXII 

CASTING THE FLY 

"Ah, tired man! Go find a spot 
Somewhere in soHtude; 
Take hammock, books and tackle 

And wearing apparel crude, 
And live, if but the shortest time, 

A wild life in the wood 
A-fishing, reading, dreaming, 
And you'll declare it good. " 

J. Milton Harkins. 

Up and Down Stream. — English Anglers wade up- 
stream, and some Anglers in America do the same. 
There is good reason in this manner of wading on the 
part of the old country's Anglers, because where they 
practice it the water is quiet and not altogether 
shallow. In America, where our trout waters are rapid 
and foaming as they rush along, it is not practical as a 
general rule to wade upstream. The walking is 
difficult, you become wet, the trout see you notwith- 
standing they lie face up stream, your flies drift 
toward you, it is hard to keep the line from being 
slack all the time, the flies sink too often, and alto- 
gether you spoil the chances of creeling whatever is 
takable in the stream. On still, barely-flowing, deep 
waters a line may be cast up or down stream. 

Down Stream. — "There is much diversity of opinion 
about the manner of fishing, whether up or down the 

138 



Casting tKe Fly 139 

stream. The great majority of Anglers, both in Europe 
and this country, favor the latter method, and very 
few the former." — John J. Brown. 

Motion of the Fly. — In clear, smooth water let the 
fly sink a little; then move it along with a quick 
motion. 

Manner in Fly-Fishing. — " The manner in which the 
flies are fished distinguishes the fly-fisherman from the 
mere fly-caster, whether or no the fly-caster, as such, 
be expert or otherwise." — Samuel G. Camp, The 
Fine Art of Fishing. 

Fly-Casting Practice. — "When the learner becomes 
accustomed to handling his rod, he must try to perfect 
himself in two matters of great importance — accuracy 
and delicacy. Place a small piece of paper fifteen or 
twenty feet away, and aim at making the knot in the 
end of the line fall easily and quietly upon it. Your 
efforts will be aided if you will raise the point of the 
rod a trifle just as the forward impulse of the line is 
spent, and the line itself is straightened in the air for 
an instant in front. This is a novel kind of target 
shooting, but its usefulness will be reaHzed when the 
Angler finds it necessary to drop his flies lightly just 
over the head of some wary trout. " — Ripley Hitchcock. 

The Magic Fly. — "Reader, did you ever throw the 
fly to tempt the silvery denizen of the lake or river to 
his destruction? Have you watched him, as it 
skimmed like a living insect along the surface, dart 
from his hiding-place and rush upon the tempting 
but deceitful morsel? Have you noticed his astonish- 



140 TKe Determined Angler 

ment when he found the hook was in his jaw? Have 
you watched him as he bent your slender rod 'Hke a 
reed shaken by the wind, ' in his efforts to free himself, 
and then have you reeled him to your hand and de- 
posited him in your basket as the spoil of your right 
arm? If you have not, leave the dull, monotonous, 
everyday things around you and try it." — S. S. 
Hammond. 

Lifelike Fly. — Don't simply drag the fly through 
the water. Move your wrist gently up and down; 
then^the lure will look and act like a living insect, not 
a bunch of hair or feather. 

Nature-like Fly. — "In fly-fishing the lure must 
always be in motion." Excepting, say I, the instant 
when it first drops upon the pool. I have caught 
many of my largest trout — sometimes two at a single 
cast — the moment the fly touched the water. 

Dry-Fly Success. — "There are no insurmountable 
obstacles in the way of becoming a successful dry-fly 
Angler that do not confront the user of the sunkenfiy." 
— Emlyn M. Gill, Practical Dry-Fly Fishing, 

Correct Fly-Fishing Line. — "Nothing in reference 
to fiy-fishing can be answered with such ease and 
confidence as the question what line should be used. 
Unquestionably the enameled water-proofed line, 
and no other. " — Henry P. Wells. 

Sunken Fly. — "Every bass fly-fisherman knows 
that to let his flies sink for a depth of six or eight inches 
is alluring. Under certain conditions, when after 



Casting tKe Fly 141 

trout, to let the flies descend for a depth of two feet 
before retrieving, is to tempt some sleepy old monster 
to attack."— 0. W. Smith. 

The Strike. — "The moment the trout seizes the 
artificial fly, it is as far in his mouth as it ever will be; 
therefore, you cannot strike too quickly after you 
have seen or felt the trout. " — D. W. Cross. 



CHAPTER XXIII 

TACKLE TALKS 

"Slight lines of hair surprise the finny prey. 



Pope. 



"See that all things be right 
For 'tis a very spite 
To want tools, when a man goes afishing. " 

Charles Cotton. 

To Extract Hooks. — Cut the snell free and push the 
hook on through, depressing the upper end so as to 
bring the point out as near as possible to where it 
went in. Don't try to pull the hook back. 

Knots in Rodwood. — Don't switch a Hght rod side- 
ways. The maker may have purposely put a knot to 
one side, and this would cause the rod to snap. 

Function of the Rod. — "The essential and most 
important office of a rod is that which is exhibited 
after the fish is hooked ... in other words, in the 
playing and landing of the fish. In practical angling 
the act of casting, either with fly or bait, is prelimi- 
nary and subordinate to the real uses of the rod. The 
poorest fly-rod made will cast a fly thirty or forty 
feet, which is about as far as called for in ordinary 
anghng. But it is the continuous spring and yielding 

142 



TacKle TalKs 143 

resistance of the bent rod, constantly maintained, that 
not only tires out the fish, but protects the weak snell 
or leader from breakage, and prevents a weak hold of 
the hook from giving way; and this is the proper 
function of the rod." — James A. Henshall, Favorite 
Fish and Fishing, 

Silkworm Gut. — "The features to be sought are 
good color, a hard, wiry texture, roundness, even 
diameter from end to end, and length. From these are 
to be inferred the strength and wearing quality of the 
gut, which are what we wish to estimate. From the 
color we infer whether the gut is fresh or stale, its 
probable strength in relation to its thickness, and, in 
part, its wearing quality. In all these respects fresh 
gut is superior to old gut of original equal quality. 
The color can best be judged from the fuzzy end of the 
hank, and should be clear and glassy, and by no means 
dull or yellowish. The wearing quality of the gut 
may be judged partly by its color, partly by its 
springiness when bent and released, and also by its 
hardness. It should feel like wire." — Henry P. 
Wells, Fly-Rods and Fly-Tackle, 

Ronalds* Rod. — "The best materials are ash for the 

stock, lancewood for the middle, and bamboo for the 
tip."— Alfred Ronalds (1836). 

South's Rod. — Theophilus South, in his Fly Fish- 
er's Text Book (London, 1845), prefers ash to wil- 
low for butts, hickory for middle joints, and 
favors tips made from lancewood, cane, and whale- 
bone, spliced together — four and even five pieces 
in a tip. 



144 THe Determined Angler 

Lightest Rod. — Benjamin S. Whitehead fly-fishes 
with a gold-and-ivory-mounted spHt bamboo rod 
weighing one and eleven sixteenths ounces. 

Tapered Line. — "The line for dry-fly fishing should 
be either single- tapered or double-tapered; the fine 
end of the taper will make more of an inconspicuous 
connection with the leader and with a tapered Hne 
casting ability is doubled." — Robert Page Lincoln. 

Knife and Shears. — A small pair of scissors attached 
to a string and fastened to the Angler's coat are useful 
companions along the stream. They are more easily 
operated than a knife; they save time, and while you 
may do with them nearly all that can be done with a 
knife, they will render a service that cannot be ob- 
tained from the single blade. A knife should always 
be carried, nevertheless, and the proper one for the 
trout Angler is that newly invented thing which 
requires no finger-nail work and which is made ready 
for service by a mere pressure of the thumb on the 
top of the handle. 

Trouting Outfit. — Here's a plain, practical, reason- 
able-price outfit with no unnecessary items: A four- 
ounce lance wood fly-rod, a common rubber click reel 
to hold twenty-five yards of fine water-proof silk line, 
a seventy-five cent cane landing-net, small and with 
no metal on it, a seventy-five cent creel, a dozen of the 
best made and highest-priced assorted trout-flies, a 
pair of waders, and a dollar's worth of the finest and 
best made silk gut leaders. 

Rod Dressing. — To whip rings or guides on the rod 
use silk twist, drawing the final end through a few 



TacKle TalKs 145 

coils of the whipping by means of a loose loop. To 
revarnish, wipe off all grease stains, and dress lightly- 
down with the best copal. To reblacken brasses, mix 
a little lampblack with spirit varnish. Dress, once 
or twice and let the dressing thoroughly dry before 
using the copal 

Buy your Tackle. — The old Anglers tied their flies 
themselves, and, in fact, made all their rods and tackle, 
save, perhaps, lines. To-day few Anglers think of 
tying flies or preparing any tackle, owing to the 
expertness and moderate terms on the part of dealers. 
It is much cheaper to buy tackle outright, as it is to 
buy gun shells ready loaded. 

To Remove a Ferrule. — Hold it over the flame of a 
spirit lamp or any flame until the cement is softened. 
If it has been pinned on, take a large needle, break it 
off squarely, put it on the pin, and strike just hard 
enough to set the pin below the ferrule, then warm and 
remove. 

The Joints. — If your rod joints go together harshly 
or do not come apart with ease, oil them lightly. See 
that no sand or any dirt gets in the ferrules. To take 
the joints apart easily when they are tightly set, gently 
warm the metal. 

Rubber Bands. — Little rubber bands are practical 
items of a sportsman's outfit. One real service they 
render is in holding the fly-rod joints together when 
you travel through the woods after your day's fishing. 

The Rod as a Measure. — "The size of a fish can be 
found out very easily, simply by having the butt of 



146 THe Determined A.n^ler 

the fishing rod marked off in inches up to two feet. " — 
John Koltzan. 

Position of the Reel. — The reel of a bait-rod should 
be on the top side of the rod, in front of the handle; 
that of a fly-rod, on the under side below the handle. 

Cork Handle. — To avoid blisters on the hand, have 
the handle of your rod covered with cork instead of 
cane, twine, or rubber. It will prevent the hand from 
sHpping, is pleasant to the touch, and very light in 
weight. 

Smooth Ferrules. — Before jointing your rod, oil 
the male ferrules with vaseline, or by rubbing them on 
the back of your neck. This will prevent the joints 
from becoming tight after the day's sport. 

Be Particular. — The finer the tackle the fairer the 
sport. 

Care of the Rod. — See that your rod-case is thor- 
oughly dry before you put your rod in it, and always 
tie the case-strings loosely or you will have bent tips 
and joints. 

Tackle Tells. — "The quality of gameness in a fish is 
best determined by the character of the tackle used. 
A brook trout on a striped bass rod, or a black bass on 
a tarpon rod, could not, in either case, exhibit its 
characteristic gameness, or afford any sport to the 
Angler. Excellent sport with small fishes, however, is 
now rendered possible owing to the advent of the very 
light trout rod. It should not be considered beneath 
the dignity of an Angler to cast the fly for a rock bass, a 
blue-gill, or a croppie, with a three-ounce rod. Cer- 



Tackle TalKs 147 

tainly it is just as sportsmanlike as to fish for six-inch 
brook trout in a meadow brook or a mountain rill." — 
James A. Henshall. 

Rust Preventive. — Use animal oil free of salt on any- 
metal — steel, iron, brass, German silver, etc. Vaseline 
may be used on brass and German silver; mercurial 
ointment on steel and iron. Don't use ordinary vege- 
table oil. 

Telescopic Reel. — An English reel, the telescope 
winch, can be expanded to carry a double quantity of 
line or less at will. By its means a trout reel becomes a 
salmon reel or bass reel or vice versa as you please. 

Fine Tackle. — "His tackle for bricht, airless days 
is o' gossamere; and at a wee distance aff you think 
he's fishin' without ony line ava. " — The Ettrick 
Shepherd. 

Dressing for Silk Wrappings. — Cobbler's wax 
dissolved in spirits of wine. Paint it on with a feather. 

Line Dressing. — Deer's fat solidifies at a higher 
temperature than most fats and will cUng well. 

Black Leader and Snell. — "For trout, use a black 
leader and have your hooks snelled with black gut. " — 
"Country Pumpkin." 

Thin Line. — "The thinner the line I use the more 
fish I catch. " — A. Hamilton, Jr. 

Cocoon Lines. — The Japanese now make almost 
invisible fishing lines from cocoons. The silk threads 
are boiled in oil and glue and calendered under heavy 



148 THe Determined Angler 

pressure. The fish cannot see these lines, and they 
are effective against the gamest'species.^^ 

Enameled Line. — "In casting from the reel I use 
a soft silk line, but I prefer to strip cast. In strip 
casting it is absolutely necessary to use a good en- 
ameled line. The reason I prefer strip casting is that 
a long, slender rod can be used. No other line than an 
enameled one can be stripped into the bottom of the 
boat and permitted to run out rapidly without 
snarling. " — " Greenhorn. " 

Making a Camp Rod. — Surgeon*s plaster, in tin 
spools, or electrician's adhesive tape, are serviceable 
in many ways in camp. You can even build a make- 
shift casting rod if you've forgotten or lost the real 
article. Fasten the reel to a stiff section of any fishing 
rod or a straight light-weight tree switch with the tape. 
Screw eyes or small staples will answer for the running 
guides, but finer guides and a cleaner-looking tip 
guide may be made with fine wire and the tape. 

Tackle and Time. — Correct fishing tackle is as 
necessary in the hands of the tyro as with the 
practical Angler, but the beginner mustn't expect 
tackle, however appropriate, to be all that is required 
to make toward perfection in angling; experience and 
practice are equally important. As an apprentice in 
carpentry who may have all the tools of his master 
still needs experience and actual practice, so the young 
Angler fully equipped with good tackle must serve 
an apprenticeship on the waters. 



CHAPTER XXIV 

THE angler's kitchen 

"The reputation that trout enjoy as a food-fish is partly due to 
the fact that they are usually cooked over an open fire. . . . 
The real reason why food cooked over an open fire tastes so good 
to us is because we are really hungry when we get it." — Henry 
VAN Dyke. 

"Moses, the friend of God — Lev. xi., 9, Deut. xiv., 9, — 
appointed fish to be the chief diet for the best commonwealth 
that ever yet was. The mightiest feasts have been of fish." 
— Walton. 

"... and fish the last 
Food was that He on earth did taste." 

W. Basse. 

"If you eat your kind, we will eat you." — Benj. Franklin. 

Catching vs. Cooking. — "I care little whether I 
catch a fish on a No. 6 or a No. 5 hook, or whether I 
use a $3 reel or a $2 .99 one. Whether I use bay leaves, 
or cloves, or mushrooms, or tomato sauce, or tartar 
sauce in preparing my fish is more important. Game 
is improved by hanging for a while, but fish should 
be eaten as soon as possible after being caught." — 
" Piscator. " 

Fish as Food. — The great variety of flavors in fish 
food makes an ichthyological diet more palatable than 

149 



150 THe Determined Angler 

quadruped meat, and therefore more healthful be- 
cause only that which is eaten with a relish is digest- 
ible and nourishing. 

Forest Fish Sauce. — Use a wild rose berry to make a 
sauce for fish food in camp. 

Carp. — The carp, celebrated in ancient song and 
story as the meat of kings, is as savory as the trout or 
any other fish species if cooked and served correctly. 

Preserving Fish. — Don't pack fish in wet grass or 
anything damp. Use dry straw. 

Frozen Fish. — Don't freeze fish unless you keep it 
frozen until quite ready for the fire, as it spoils soon 
after thawing. 

Scaling Fish. — Use an ordinary horse currycomb. 



CHAPTER XXV 

CARE AND BREEDING OF TROUT 

"The water, more productive than the earth, Nature's store- 
house, in which she locks up her wonders, is the eldest daughter 
of the creation, the element upon which the spirit of God did first 
move." — IzAAK Walton. 

Transporting Trout. — To bring your fish home, 
first clean them carefully, taking pains to remove that 
little dark blood streak along the backbone. Then, 
after wiping them dry, pack them in ferns, separately, 
and free from ice. Never send your fish home by 
express; take them with you. A box cannot be 
checked on the train. Use an old packing trunk. In 
this you can also transport your heavy outfit — wading 
boots, oilskins, landing-net, etc. 

Trout in Captivity. — Trout in artificial ponds 
should be fed three or four times a week in the winter 
time during the very warmest part of the day. 
There is no natural food in artificial ponds, and feed- 
ing is necessary in order to keep the big fish from 
eating their small companions. In natural trout 
ponds fed by springs so much care need not be exer- 
cised in winter. Air holes need not be cut in any ice 
that may form, as the springs afford a proper tempera- 
ture, and but little food, if any, need be given the 
fish. 

151 



152 TKe Determined Angler 

Killing the Trout. — Kill your trout the instant they 
are landed; don't let them suffer slow death. The 
game deserves humane treatment, and the meat 
tastes better by quick killing. 

Trout Destroyers. — Eels are ruinous to trout. 
They eat trout spawn, and they should be removed 
from all trout waters. 

Live Frozen Trout. — Trout packed in ice for several 
days and carried forty miles by stagecoach and two 
hundred and fifty miles by railway (Feb., 1914) from 
the State of Washington to Montana, says the Lewis- 
ton Democrat of Butte, Montana, came to life and 
swam spryly when placed in a tank of water at the 
end of their journey — Hennessy's meat store at Butte. 

Water Plants. — Aquatic plants, besides affording 
protection and shade to the fishes, supply oxygen to 
the water. 

Growth of Trout. — "Mr. Tomkin of Polgaron put 
some small river trout, 2j^ inches in length, into a 
newly made pond. He took some of them out the 
second year, above twelve inches in length; the third 
year, he took one out of sixteen inches in length; and 
the fourth year, one of twenty-five inches in length: 
this was in 1734." — Carew's Survey of Cornwall. 

Ducks Eat Trout.— Arthur A. Woodford and S. W. 
Eddy, of Avon, Conn., say that ducks eat trout and 
destroy the trout's breeding places by digging in the 
banks along the ponds and streams. 



CHAPTER XXVI 

THE angler's clothing AND FOOTWEAR 

And let your garments russet be or gray, 
Of colour darke, and hardest to descry. 

Pleasures of Angling. 

Hobnail Footwear. — Most any boot or shoe can 
be used for wading the trout streams, but a special 
selection is always best for every sort of purpose. 
Rubber, canvas, and leather are employed in the 
making of the fisherman's footwear. The hobnail 
heel-and-sole pattern is the correct article for use in 
swift-running water. The hobnail recommended 
above all others is the common, cheap soft-iron hob- 
nail with corrugated head ; carry a package in your 
tackle box. 

Repairing Waders. — Patch holes in rubber boots 
and rubber stockings, etc., by covering the holes with 
thin sheet rubber, cementing this with a mixture of 
black rubber dissolved in spirits of turpentine. 

Drying Rubber Boots. — Fill 'em full of hot bran. 

Clothing. — Sack coats, heavy trousers, a stout vest, 
all with plenty of large pockets. In color the garments 
should be gray, drab, or brown. 

153 



154 THe Determined Angler 

Hat. — A soft felt of gray shade. 

Boots and Shoes. — Brown leather. 

Waders. — Leather shoes with holes in the sides or 
canvas shoes for summer. Rubber boots or wading 
trousers for cold weather. 

Woolen and Rubber Clothing. — Good quality 
woolen will shed rain for hours. Wear rubber outer 
garments in a wet brushy trail. 



CHAPTER XXVII 

LITTLE CASTS 

The Fingerling Fisher. — It is sad to see a man with 
his creel full of trout each not over the size of a lady's 
penknife. This character has a photograph made of 
himself with the fingerhngs held in front of him so as 
to make them appear of legal size; this he sends to 
friends in the city with glowing accounts of his catch 
of "a hundred speckled beauties in one day. " 

Tent Water-proofing. — Sugar of lead and alum. 

Woodcraft. — A good, simple way to find a road or 
dwelling, if you are lost in the woods, is to follow down 
a stream. 

Destroying the Streams. — Discourage the indis- 
criminate cutting down of trees. The destruction of 
forest land means the drying up of trout waters and 
the waste of drinking water. 

The Bungler. — Bragging of ungentle catches, un- 
truths about the size of a specimen, and non-ich- 
thyological nonsense about the mystery of a species 
— unnatural history such as cheap fiction writers in- 
dulge in — by bungling would-be fishermen annoy the 
practical man and puzzle the earnest tyro. The record 
of honest sport is entertaining and instructive. 

155 



156 THe Determined Angler 

Discrimination. — Do not worry if the fish are small 
so long as they are of legal size; reduce your tackle. 
A vest-pocket watch keeps just as good time as a town- 
hall clock. 

Sportsmanship. — Chivalry to his companion and 
humane treatment to the game he pursues are the 
Angler's axioms. 

Giving Fishes to Neighbors. — Don't give your 
neighbors part of your catch. They won't appreciate 
it. They'll throw them away in most cases. If they 
cook and eat them they suffer the belief that they are 
doing you a favor. Most recipients of fishes think the 
specimens too small, or that they have too many bones, 
or that they are too thin, too tough, too hard to scale, 
etc. They'd rather have a bought-and-paid-for cold- 
storage cod of ten pounds than a freshly caught brook 
trout presented by an Angler friend. 

Not All of Fishing to Fish. — "The fisherman whose 
catching of many fish causes him to forget his sur- 
roundings, blinds his eyes to the beauties of Nature, 
and deadens his ears to the music of the wild, is no 
Angler."— 0. W. Smith. 



CHAPTER XXVIII 



BORROWED LINES 



"Oh I could wish the lord to say 
That all the twelve months 
Should be May." 

George Borrow. 

"I borrow no man's tackle. " — "Frank Forester." 

Nature. — "Solitude has its charm and its reward 
and Nature offers to mankind the proper blessings, 
be they indulged in with care and consideration. The 
mind that has been oppressed by following civiliza- 
tion's rut will find ample comfort in the solitude given 
man by Nature. " — R. P. L., The Sportsmen's Review, 

Save the Fishes. — "We who love wild life and long 
ago abandoned the many instruments of extermina- 
tion and who have come to a more considerate mode of 
recreation should do all in our power to discourage its 
destruction and to encourage the propagation of the 
wild life which has been so generously and graciously 
given us by our Creator. Only extremists insist on 
terrible slaughter of fishes, birds, and quadrupeds." — 
E. M. Hermann. 

" Improvement." — " No building enterprise, no 
'betterment' ever spares a tree. Insects and lack of 

157 



158 TKe Determined Angler 

care kill what 'improvement' leaves." — New York 
Evening World, Aug. 18, 19 14. 

Jesus the Fisherman. — Had not the Saviour of 
Gennesaret understood fishermen's signs, such as the 
riff on the water, the schooHng of_the fishes, the hover- 
ing gulls, there would have been no miraculous catch 
of fishes." — Charles Hallock. 

Society where None Intrudes. — "I had pined so 
much, in the dust and heat of the great town, for trees 
and fields, and running waters, and the sounds of 
country life, and the air of country winds, that never 
more could I grow weary of these soft enjoyments. " — 
Blackmore, Lorna Doone. 

The Call of the Wild. — "Lying hidden away in the 
back of the brain is the primitive longing for adven- 
ture and the tingle of the nerves that awaits it. Under 
the veneer of what is called civilization lie the racial 
and elemental passions, just as Mother Earth Hes 
beneath the asphalted streets of the city." — ^Adele M. 
Ballard. 

Gold Fishing. — "When all green places have been 
destroyed in the builder's lust of gain; when all the 
lands are but bricks and piles of wood and iron ; when 
there is no moisture anywhere and no rain ever falls; 
when the sky is a vault of smoke and all the rivers reek 
with poison; when forest and stream, the moor and 
meadow and all the old green wayside beauty are 
things vanished and forgotten; when every gentle, 
timid thing of brake and bush, of air and water, has 
been killed because it robbed them of a berry or a 



Borro"wed I^ines 159 

fruit; when the earth is one vast city, whose young 
children behold neither the green of the field nor the 
blue of the sky, and hear no song but the hiss of the 
steam, and know no music but the roar of the furnace; 
when the old sweet silence of the countryside, and the 
old sweet sounds of waking birds, and the old sweet 
fall of summer showers, and the grace of a hedgerow 
bough, and the glow of the purple heather, and the 
note of the cuckoo and cushat, and the freedom of 
waste and of woodland and all things are dead and re- 
membered of no man ; then the world, like the Eastern 
king, will perish miserably of famine and of drought, 
with gold in its stiffened hands, and gold in its withered 
lips and gold everywhere; gold that the people can 
neither eat nor drink, gold that cares nothing for them, 
but mocks them horribly ; gold for which their fathers 
sold peace, and health, and hoHness, and beauty; gold 
that is one vast grave." — Ouida. 

Heaven. — " My heart is fixed firm and stable in the 
belief that ultimately the sunshine and the summer, 
the flowers and the azure sky, shall become, as it were, 
interwoven into man's existence. He shall take from 
all their beauty and enjoy their glory." — Richard 
Jefferies, The Life of the Fields, 

Modern Savagery. — "Civilization is a nervous 
disease. " — Clarence King. 

Humanity. — "Reading and writing are not educa- 
tional, unless they make us feel kindly towards all 
creatures. " — Ruskin. 

Walton's Depth. — "In Walton's angling works a 
child may wade and a giant swim. " — John Ryan. 



"I shall stay . . . [the reader] no longer than to wish him a 
rainy evening to read this . . . Discourse; and that, if he be an 
honest Angler, the East wind may never blow when he goes 
a-Fishing. " — Izaak Walton, The Compleat Angler , 1653. 



161 



APPRECIATIONS 



"Princeton, May 30, 1900- 

"The Determined Angler . . 
the most pleasantly written, the 
most sensible and practical and 
instructive volume I have ever 
seen of its kind." 




The Art of Angling. — 
. . . a book on the art of angling, 
with a hearty indorsement from 
the most famous of latter-day 
fishermen, former President 
Grover Cleveland. It fully 
deserves this indorsement. — 
New York Herald, September 22, 
1900. 

The Trout and the Whale. 
— ... rare sympathy and 
genuine knowledge. Mr. Brad- 
ford undoubtedly knows, 
did his sainted forerunner, that 
"there are fish, as namely the 
whale, three times as big as the 
mighty elephant, that is so fierce 
in battle," yet a single salve 
liner fontinalis of "just a little 
over two pounds and a quarter ' 
is the single luxury he allows 
himself. Mr. Bradford's deal 
ings are with those sophisticated 
denizens of much-fished streams, 
that have to be approached with 
the finesse of a diplomat and 
handled with the swift skill of a 
fencing master. In all that 
pertains to this difficult and 
studious art one feels that Mr. 
Bradford is an adept, and thatthe 
graceful, commendatory letter 
from former President Cleveland 
is amply merited. — New York 
Evening Telegram, September 
8, 1900. 

Practical. — Practical ad 
vice. — New York Sun. 

Angling Converts. — There 
is always a real charm about 
what is written on the subject of 
fishing, by real disciples of old 
Izaak Walton, and the reason 
may be found in the fact that 
the spirit of the greatest of 
anglers has come upon them. 
The Determined Angler is no 
exception to the rule. It is 
good reading, full of wisdom and 
instruction. And while it will 
prove very useful to the beginner 



and even the veteran, it is also 
calculated to make many con- 
verts to the rod and line. The 
book is full of wise counsel and 
information. — New York Even- 
ing Sun, September 8, 1900. 

For Fair Fishermen. — Ap- 
peals to those who fish fair. . 
. . . Charles Bradford, the 
modern American authority on 
angling. — New York Press. 

For Gentle Readers. — 
Much good advice and very 
pleasant entertainment for any 
gentle reader. — New York Ob- 
server. 

Summer and Winter. — Pleas- 
ant reading, whether by the 
winter fireside or the shaded 
banks of summer. — New York 
Evening Post. 

Angling Experience. — Mr. 
Bradford is no novice in this line 
of literature. — New York Ath 
letic Club Journal. 

Angling Philosophy. — 
Breathes the very essence of 
philosophy; the result of much 
experience. — Brooklyn {N.Y.) 
Eagle. 

Waltonian Spirit. — Per 
vaded by the spirit of Izaak 
Walton. — The Outlook. 

The Gentle Trout. — The 
author is an enthusiastic devotee 
of the sport [angling], upon 
which he writes with a con 
tagious enthusiasm ... an angler 
of very positive convictions; he 
has a fixed aversion to fishing 
with the scarlet ibis, and con- 
fesses to a personal preference 
to sober colors in flies for all 
seasons and on all waters. Above 
all, he insists upon the use of 
the most scientific methods, 
since "a trout is a gentleman, 
and should be treated as such 
and lured with only delicate and 
humane weapons." A fac^ 
simile of a letter of warm com- 
mendation from ex-President 
Cleveland serves as frontispiece 
to this agreeable volume which 
is attractively printed. — New 
York Commercial Advertiser, 
September 13, 1900. 

The Gentle Art. — A gentle 
exponent of a gentle art. — De nver 
{Colo.) Republican. 



APPRECIATIONS 



Wild Brook Trout.— The 
announcement of a new book 
on fishing interests a class of the 
community, especially those 
confined to the cities, which is 
ncreasing year by year. This 
work depicts a trout fisherman's 
paradise. It is from the same 
graphic pen as The Wildfowlers, 
and divulges many a secret of 
the fisherman's craft. One may 
learn from its pages where a 
gentle creel of real wild brook 
trout may be made in a rnorn- 
ing's pleasant angling, "in a 
free and comparatively virgin 
gameland — a wild and naturally 
beautiful country, embracing 
all the charms of scenic splendor 
for which the American brook 
trout regions are famous, "and 
its pages contain an abundance 
of practical detail concerning 
tackle and methods of casting 
the fly, and playing and landing 
the game ... it makes a nota 
ble addition to the sportsman's 
library. — New York Home Jour- 
nal, May 10, 1900. 

The Angler's Art. — Mr- 
Bradford gives eminently prac- 
tical hints on the angler's art. 
Salt Lake City {Utah) Telegram. 
A Study of Fishing. — The 
advice comes from one who has 
learned many things about 
fishing.— Z/iica (AT.F.) Press. 

Comprehensive Angling. — 
One of the most comprehensive 
bits of angling literature we 
have had for many a long year, 
and thoroughly _ deserves the 
generous praise it has received 
. . . the most delightful fishing 
book of this generation — The 
A mateur Sportsman. 

The Angler's Library. — 
Deserves a place in the library 
of every fly-fisherman. — The 
Sportsman's Magazine. 

A Fisher of Men. — Mr 
Bradford may well be proud 
of this tribute, for Mr. Cleveland 
is himself a determined angler 
and an experienced fisher of 
men. — Spirit of the Times. 

Secrets of the Fish. — What 
he has to tell of the secrets 
known only to the fish, himself, 
and a few others is marvelous, 
Montreal (Canada) Gazette. 



Philosophy and Fishing. — 
With this kind of man philosophy 
and fishing mix well. — Rochester 
(N. Y.) Herald. 

Quality, not Quantity. — 
Mr. Bradford writes for those 
who see more in the trip than 
the frying-pan. — Savannah {Ga.) 
News. 

Walton's Follower. — A 
true disciple of Izaak Walton 
London {Eng.) Post. 

Angling Enthusiasm. — An 
accomplished and enthusiastic 
angler. — Cincinnati {Ohio) Star. 
Cleveland's Words. — Charles 
Bradford writes practical and 
sensible books. — Philadelphia 
{Pa.) Public Ledger. 

Angling Anticipations 
Mr. Bradford believes fishing is 
a means and not an end. 
Albany Argus. 

Joyous Material. — He has 
gathered material to make the 
heart of the fisherman leap for 
joy. — Boston Transcript. 

Would Please Walton. — 
Izaak Walton, Christopher 
North, and the other mighty 
fishermen known to fame, would 
wag their wise heads approvingly 
over Mr. Bradford's book. 
The Pilgrims who told King 
James that they desired to go 
to the new world to worship 
God and catch fishes would 
accord Mr. Bradford's volume 
a place beside the Bay Psalm 
Book.— Pittsburg (Pa.) Gazette. 

Entertaining. — Mr. Brad- 
ford has written before^ on an- 
gling, and very entertainingly. — 
Saturday Evening Post {Phila.). 

Contemplative Man. — 
Charles Bradford is one to 
whom, as Washington Irving 
said, "There is something in 
angling that tends to produce 
a gentleness of spirit and a 
pure serenity of mind." — Dundee 
{Scot.) Adv. 

Universal Reading. — The 
descriptive matter is both 
interesting and instructive. 
Fishermen in all parts of the 
country will find the book well 
worth reading.— Bay City {Mich.) 
Tribune, July 19. 1900. 



